After a disappointing 2-3 start to the season, and a frustrating three and almost half years. The New York Jets stunned the sports world on Tuesday morning when they fired head coach Robert Saleh first reported by ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Saleh finished his tenure as Jets head coach with a 20-36 record.
Jets owner Woody Johnson said this was a decision he made on his own, he made this official statement shortly after the decision.
Now why would New York make the decision to fire their head coach only five games into the season? Johnson, when speaking to reporters earlier in the day said, “This is one of the most talented teams that has ever been assembled by the New York Jets,” and that he felt the team needed to “go in a different direction.”
A lot of people in the media, and fans have questioned why did Saleh get the boot instead of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett? The Jets struggles have come from the offensive side, so it would only make sense to replace the guy in control of the offense.
The reality is Hackett was never going to get fired because of his relationship with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Hackett was never going to be fired but Saleh did have plans to demote Hackett from play calling duties according to SNY NFL Insider Connor Hughes.
This decision was more than just the offensive side of the ball underperforming. The reality is, under Saleh the Jets come into games undisciplined, unprepared, and they start games slow and sloppy. Through five games this year, New York has only scored double digits once in the first half of games and that came against the New England Patriots who look bad enough. The Jets’ slow starts have cost them in their games.
If a team looks unprepared, and starts slow at the start of games that falls on the shoulders of the head coach. The Jets have 39 penalties just this season alone, that is nearly an average of eight a game, which is seventh most in the league. This is something fans have been used to with Saleh when it comes to the team being undisciplined.
There was a feeling that Saleh did not light a fire under players, or hold them accountable. Saleh himself said “The players hold themselves accountable.” Which is good in theory, but as the head coach sometimes you need to be the one to hold them accountable and motivate them to be ready to go every game.
Too many times under Saleh, the Jets have been flat from the start of the game. Something needed to change, and Johnson felt this was the best change for the team. Hoping that new interim Head Coach Jeff Ulbrich can bring a spark and “positive energy” to the team to get the season back on track.
New York has the talent, they have the quarterback, there is no reason why this team should be struggling so much. Yes, firing Saleh does not change the fact that the offense has been a mess. That Hackett is still on the staff involved in the offense, but putting blame on just the offensive staff, and Rodgers play is a lazy narrative. It ignores all the other issues coach Saleh has failed at.
The offense does need to play better, and so does Rodgers, but there is no excuse for how undisciplined, and unprepared this football team is each week. That is simply the fault of a head coach who has a losing record by far in his tenure.
The hope with this change at Head Coach is that Ulbrich will light a fire under these players, that he will hold players more accountable when they are messing up. His scheme, and the way he addresses the game will lead to a more creative, aggressive offense while also having the team more prepared.
The number one thing I will be looking for from the Jets when they play the Buffalo Bills in a huge divisional game on Monday night at MetLife stadium is how this team looks in the first five minutes. Will they look prepared, and look like they are ready to play football? If so, that is already a better job than what Saleh has done. I don’t expect the offense to be fixed in one week, but can the Jets show some type of urgency, and creativity?
For the people that are confused on why the Jets fired the defensive minded head coach when the defense has played so well. Ulbrich has been the one already calling the plays on defense, there is no change in that regard. This is about having the team more prepared on game days, something Saleh was failing at.
Is this the move that turns the season around? It’s up in the air, New York could crash and burn after this move for all we know. Or this could be the spark they needed to turn it around. Only time will tell if this decision pays off.
The reality is, Coach Saleh was on borrowed time after the embarrassing 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos. They played Minnesota and started off slow once again. They lost the game because of that, and that was the final nail in the coffin for the Robert Saleh era. Johnson felt like it was the right time to make the move.
Ulbrich will have a chance to prove himself as head coach in the NFL. It starts on Monday Night against the Bills in a game where the Jets can somehow take first place in the AFC East just six weeks into the season.
Coach Saleh seemed like a good guy, he is no doubt a good defensive minded head coach, but not everyone can be a good head coach. Saleh helped the Jets a lot in getting to where they are now with the roster they have in place, but his coaching was holding this team back from their potential. Now we will see if the Jets can save the season with Jeff Ulbrich running the team.
