He didn’t should be Ray Handley following Invoice Parcells, or Ben McAdoo following Tom Coughlin. Robert Saleh was following Adam Gase.
“Get used to the mantra ‘All fuel, no brake,’ ” Saleh mentioned at his introductory Jets press convention over Zoom throughout the pandemic. “We’re not speaking about effort on the sector, we’re speaking concerning the course of at which we do issues. We’re speaking about the best way we put together, the best way we get up each single morning, the best way we rehab, the best way we talk, the best way we communicate to at least one one other.
“Once we get up within the morning, we are going to all, from prime down, step on the pedal and discover a strategy to get considerably higher than we had been once we awoke. To our followers, we embrace your ardour, we embrace your expectations, we can’t wait to go on this journey with you. … Please perceive we perceive that we’ve plenty of work to do.
“However make no mistake — no mistake — that our purpose is to win championships. … It’s gonna be an thrilling time, and I promise that you just’re gonna love what you all see.”
Three years later, Saleh can be taking an 18-33 document into the 2024 season. He can be taking a 13-year franchise playoff drought into the season. He can be taking a 55-year Tremendous Bowl drought into the season.
Three years of “All aghast, no break.”
Zach Wilson is gone. Aaron Rodgers has a wholesome, albeit 40-year-old, Achilles. There aren’t any excuses now anymore for Saleh, and no extra mulligans.
It’s previous time for him to win, and win large. The division is extra up for grabs now than it has been since Tom Brady left New England.
Win the rattling factor.
It’s previous time for him to remind everybody, from Woody Johnson on down contained in the Jets Atlantic Well being Coaching Heart, that he was employed to be the CEO chief Gase was not.
Greater than the coach of the protection. The coach of your complete workforce.
Nobody will care whether or not Rodgers continues to foyer for him if Saleh doesn’t in any case coach a playoff workforce.
Nobody will care how properly he works with GM Joe Douglas — there’s room on the recent seat for the 2 of them — ought to Rodgers fail to assist save him, and them.
Saleh spending extra time brainstorming on offense with Rodgers or possibly popping into a gathering room hardly signifies that Rodgers can be deferring to any Air Saleh operation.
It isn’t Saleh’s fault that Wilson was a bust. His mistake was throwing him to the wolves on Day 1. Saleh isn’t going to magically remodel into Kyle Shanahan and whisper invaluable candy somethings into offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett’s ear. But it surely behooves Saleh to point out the proprietor that he’s not less than attempting to be the coach of your complete workforce.
“Simply perceive what they’re attempting to perform and simply attempting to supply some perception from a defensive perspective,” Saleh mentioned at Jets OTAs of his contributions to the offense. “I’ll have solutions identical to another head coach.”
Garrett Wilson welcomes them.
“We’ve had some nice conversations about ball,” Wilson mentioned. “The truth that he values my opinion as a lot as he does, I’ll by no means take that without any consideration. The truth that he has all that data on protection, it helps us on offense. You see groups across the league attempt to mimic what he’s performed. He’s had plenty of these [defensive] guys for 3 years now, so possibly that’s the place you see him enterprise on to the offensive aspect. Guys know their stuff now. “
It’s troublesome to get previous the notion that Aaron Rodgers isn’t the pinnacle coach (and GM) of the New York Jets. It might be comforting for followers to acknowledge and acknowledge that that is Robert Saleh’s workforce.
He and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich should subject an elite protection with stars at every stage — Quinnen Williams, C.J. Mosley, Sauce Gardner. Brant Boyer is a extremely revered particular groups coordinator. Saleh has higher protectors and playmakers now for Rodgers, and a greater backup QB in Tyrod Taylor.
Rodgers needed to play for him. And needed to proceed enjoying for him this season. However now it’s profitable time for Saleh. Or else.
His gamers play laborious for him. He wants them — LT Tyron Smith, RG Alijah Vera-Tucker, RT Morgan Moses, WR Mike Williams, and most of all, Rodgers — to play wholesome for him. He wants to determine a means for his protection to win the shut video games, ought to there be extra storms to climate.
“I feel we’re all hopeful, and all of us imagine that if we are able to keep wholesome,” Saleh mentioned, “we’ll be fairly rattling good.”
All fuel, no brake, please.
