In the wonderful world of sports, there’s men who qualify to become
head coaches and lead a team to prosperity. For former head coach
Robert Saleh, the pilot of a franchise whose misery is well documented
came to an end last week. Saleh was fired last week upon returning
home from London, losing to the Minnesota Vikings 23-17 in what’s
been a tenure of turmoil.
How we got here has been a year in the making; 2023 was supposed to
be a great season after trading for aging quarterback Aaron Rodgers,
only to tear his Achilles opening night. There was a lot of high
expectations coming into 2024 with a healthy Rodgers and good roster
with new additions to help protect Rodgers from a gruesome injury.
Only one or two issues occurred: Rodgers missed all mandatory
minicamp to see King Tut, while newly acquisition Hassan Reddick has
held out through six weeks. Saleh was giving a very short amount of
room for error, and it boiled over during their matchup against division
rival New England. What was caught on camera was Saleh and Rodgers
awkward moment of either a hug or shove. It made headlines and both
played if off like nothing happened.
Upon returning home, a lot of questions were in the media as to who’s
the blame for New York’s uninspired start. Saleh’s relationship with
Rodgers wasn’t as tight in any form or fashion. This led to owner
Woody Johnson doing something he’s never done in firing a coach
midseason. In the world of social media, fans speculated Rodgers had
something to do with Saleh’s firing. Even if Johnson called Aaron and
asked for his thoughts as to what needed to change. If I were a sports
betting man, my deck is on Rodgers saying, “we can’t win or progress
with Saleh.”
Once news broke a week ago of Saleh’s firing, all dots connected to
Rodgers. Now, if you want to be tactical and go in this direction it plays
well into Rodgers’ field of manipulating the media. Making his weekly
appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” it was typical Rodgers talk on
his love for Saleh.
Fans were amused and entertained as he sidestepped what was going
on. Nothing to see here folks, keep the party going.
If you go back to the 2023 season, New York was 2-3 with the same
team under Zach Wilson. Defense was solid, but no offensive creativity
under Nathaniel Hackett, who’s connection with Rodgers goes back to
Green Bay. 2024 team is 2-4 after six games and the same roster whose
yet to make any significant splashes. Rodgers is still a solid quarterback
at age 40; yet lacks leadership tendencies to help rally a team.
Enter interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich, former San Francisco 49ers
player who’s like and can get motivated to play. Saleh couldn’t connect
with players and that’s something to be mindful of. Not that it’s a bad
thing, but when you’re head coach, having guys ready to play is crucial.
Rather he was liked or not, Aaron Rodgers is the one player who is
going to run you out of the building when things aren’t set in stone for
him. A coach and quarterback must be on the same page for success;
not have their own agendas. Even with the trade rumors swirling for a
potential Devante Adams reunion, Saleh pushed back against it. In his
heart of it all, he likely felt the issues were on offense and adding
another former teammate of Rodgers would eliminate the progression
of Garrett Wilson.
I believe he felt some type of way by struggling to find continuity with
the current roster. Defense has been good, but offense limited due to
lack of creativity and being one dimension. The fall of Robert Saleh
started when Zach Wilson became his quarterback in 2021. He didn’t
ask or draft the BYU product; first year head coach and learning the
process of assembling a staff and roster. From there, it felt like a
mismatch of philosophies.
Once a coach loses the power struggle of handling an aging quarterback
whose track record of being a media manipulator can become more
trouble than what its worth. Saleh did all he could and keep the Jets
afloat. Good as a defensive coordinator he can be a team next
offseason will give him the title to rebuild his reputation. There’s going
to be teams in need of a change of direction and he could fit the role.
If the New York Jets can stay in flight and soar into a winning streak, the
AFC wild card race is still in play; but losses here and there won’t be
without media scrutiny. Playing in the New York market comes with
high expectations and just maybe give hope to a team whose identity
can be found in the coming weeks. Until, the Jets have changed
direction and pilots to save their season.
Stai tuned.
