FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The temperature dipped outside, but it was plenty hot Monday in the meeting rooms at the New York Jets' facility.
Less than 24 hours after only the third home shutout in the past 16 years, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer lit into his underachieving unit, according to several players. One player, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told ESPNNewYork.com it was "more intense" than any meeting he'd experienced in recent memory.
Rex Ryan, addressing the entire team, also fumed over the 9-0 loss to the Green Bay Packers. As one player said, "Rex was pretty pissed -- and rightfully so."
The ugly offensive performance included six dropped passes, three turnovers and five penalties by a unit that includes six current or former Pro Bowl players and one former Super Bowl MVP. It snapped a five-game winning streak for the Jets (5-2), and it provided plenty of fodder for Schottenheimer, who, as anybody who watched the "Hard Knocks" series knows, has a fiery side.
"It was a tough meeting to sit through," right tackle Damien Woody said. "The coaching staff, they were critical about everything ... Even the coaches were tough on themselves for some of the plays. Hey, that's what it's going to take in order for us to get better."
Wide receiver Santonio Holmes described Schottenheimer's message to the team this way: "Unacceptable ... Inexcusable. Everything that happened was inexcusable. There's no pointing fingers in our offensive room. Get it corrected and we'll be ready to roll next week."
Holmes and fellow receiver Jerricho Cotchery were the Drospey Twins. The usually sure handed Cotchery dropped three passes in the fourth quarter alone. Holmes dropped two, including a five-yard drag route in the open field that could've gone for a 45-yard touchdown.
There also were the two interceptions in which Cotchery and tight end Dustin Keller were outmuscled for the ball by Green Bay cornerbacks.
Braylon Edwards described the problem as an "arrogance" among the receivers, claiming they need to get back to the fundamentals of catching passes. The Jets aren't known as a team with bad hands.
Going into Sunday, they had 11 drops in six games, according to STATS LLC -- including four by Keller, two apiece by Cotchery and Holmes and one by Edwards.
Sunday's debacle went beyond dropped passes. Quarterback Mark Sanchez, suffering his worst statistical game in nearly a year, also failed to locate open receivers. On the second-to-last possession, Edwards was wide open in the end zone, but Sanchez threw an incompletion in the corner of the end zone to a well-covered Cotchery.
"No one was within 20 yards of [Edwards]," Ryan said.
In the second quarter, Edwards was wide open on a deep post, but the pass went to Cotchery for 13 yards. After the game, Edwards, held to only one catch, left without talking to reporters. On Monday, he explained himself, saying he was emotional and didn't "want to answer a question the wrong way or go off."
Holmes, too, ducked reporters after the game, saying through the team official that he had a family emergency. Asked about it Monday about his family situation, Holmes said tersely, "We're not going there."
So far, no player has complained publicly about his role in the offense. Edwards claimed his hasty exit had nothing to do with personal frustration, but he wondered aloud if Schottenheimer is finding it hard to keep everybody happy.
"We have so many weapons and we're trying to get all those weapons the ball," he said. "Maybe that's tough ... I'm not speaking for Schotty and I'm not speaking against Schotty. That definitely could be the case. Maybe he's sitting back and trying to make sure the ball is distributed equally.
"You know, make sure Dustin has three. Make sure Jerricho, myself [get our share]. Brad Smith has his Wildcat package. Maybe that's the case. If so, that's a tough job on a coordinator, trying to balance out the numbers."
On Sunday, only one number mattered and it loomed large:
Zero.
Rich Cimini covers the Jets for ESPNNewYork.com. Follow him on Twitter.