Following Sunday’s 30-14 loss to the Patriots, Adam Gase suggested that some of his players didn’t know what was going on — at least not nearly as well as his novice starting quarterback.

Gase, asked for a review of Luke Falk’s first-ever NFL start, took the opportunity to defend the third-stringer while simultaneously criticizing the guys around him.

“There was a lot of things he did really well that he didn’t get a lot of help with,” Gase said after the game. “That was frustrating to see that the guy that’s in his first NFL start knows what’s going on and other guys aren’t executing the way it should be done.”

For a few reasons, that was a rather interesting way for Gase to respond.

For one, Falk didn’t perform well (12-22, 98 yards, 1 INT, 47.1 rating), though that’s to be expected when any quarterback — let alone a first-time starter — doesn’t get protection up front. There were also a few instances, such as the interception, where it appeared Falk’s receivers either ran the wrong routes or didn’t complete them.

So Gase isn’t exactly wrong in what he said. What makes the quote interesting, though, is that Gase has a reputation for defending his quarterbacks and throwing other players to the wolves. He did that frequently in Miami despite a carousel of underachieving arms, and there were multiple cases of the coach rubbing non-quarterbacks the wrong way.

Right or not, this is the second time Gase has done this in his short Jets tenure. This could all be coincidental, but it is curious how often Gase does this, especially after a performance that featured little for Falk to write home about.

Finally, it’s an eye-catching quote because Gase is talking about his players. If Jets players — especially the ones on offense — don’t know what’s going on, that’s a reflection on the head coach, and a poor one at that. Gase may have been distancing himself from the blame for another loss — another thing he’s been criticized for in the past — but in reality, he told on himself.

Players have to execute and know the plays, but the man in charge should probably be on top of that.