Jets Finally Fire Robert Saleh & Name DC Jeff Ulbrich As Interim Head Coach
It's impossible to call the Robert Saleh Era anything but a giant failure. They went 20-36 in 3 1/2 seasons with the Jets. That's the lowest winning percentage (.357) of any Jets head coach who has coached more than 32 games. That's hard to do. It's not like the Jets have a murderer's row of great coaches in their history.
I'm very happy that Saleh is no longer the coach of my favorite NFL team but I can't help feeling like this is a Who lyric:
"Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss."
The Jets have a 40 year old quarterback. If they are going to win, they need to start doing it right away. Even move they make, they need to ask themselves: Does this help the Jets right now?
There's clearly a ton we don't know right now but here's what we do know. For at least this week, Jeff Ulbrich is the head coach. He's yet another defensive coordinator that has no head coaching experience. Every coach the Jets have hired since 2000 has had no previous head coaching experience (except one: Adam Gase).
The defense has also been pretty good this year. Does it make the Jets better right now to take away a good DC from his defense responsibilities? I don't think it does.
The other issue is Nathaniel Hackett. He's been an absolutely horrific offensive coordinator in his time with the Jets. This is directly after an equally horrific job as head coach of the Denver Broncos. Hackett apparently still has a job? A team with Aaron Rodgers, Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson has averaged under 19 points a game. Only once has the offense gotten 267 total yards all season. Hackett is lousy. Does keeping him help the Jets right now?
I'm as tired of Robert Saleh as anyone. Believe me. I'm sick of him running up and down fucking stairs instead of preparing for a game. I'm so glad I have never have to see his bewildered face again when Aaron Rodgers, Zach Wilson, Mike White, Josh Johnson, Joe Flacco, Trevor Siemian or Tim Boyle throws an interception. And yes, they all did under Saleh. It's been a horrific last 4 years of football.
Aaron Rodgers runs this team so he was clearly fine with Saleh getting the boot. It makes you wonder about the above interaction earlier this year. It also forces the question of how long was Rodgers sick of Saleh's shit. The Jets haven't had two coaches in a season since 1976. Even then, Jets coach Lou Holtz (yes, that Lou Holtz) didn't get fired. He resigned with a game left.
The Jets historically don't fire coaches during a season. Robert Saleh getting canned was clearly an Aaron Rodgers move.
The big question is if they plan to stick with Ulbright all season or if they make a play for a guy like Mike Vrabel or some other coach. I can't imagine Bill Belichick would ever consider coaching the Jets and even if he did, Jets fans like myself would have an internal disaster rooting for someone we've hated with fury for decades. But would it help the Jets right now? I think a new face absolutely would.
Maybe my concerns about the defense are overblown? Perhaps Robert Saleh was the one holding the offense back? Heading into a very tough Monday night game against the Bills, I will choose positivity. It's the only option. I can't be miserable about this team any longer. It's fucking exhausting.
I'm here for the Ulbrich Era. Does this help the Jets right now?
It has to.