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 gasoline, no brake,’ ” Saleh stated at his introductory Jets press convention over Zoom through the pandemic. “We’re not speaking about effort on the sphere, we’re speaking in regards to the course of at which we do issues. We’re speaking about the way in which we put together, the way in which we get up each single morning, the way in which we rehab, the way in which we talk, the way in which we converse to at least one one other.
“Once we get up within the morning, we’ll all, from high down, step on the pedal and discover a solution to get considerably higher than we have been once we wakened. To our followers, we embrace your ardour, we embrace your expectations, we can not wait to go on this journey with you. … Please perceive we perceive that we have now loads of work to do.
“However make no mistake — no mistake — that our objective is to win championships. … It’s gonna be an thrilling time, and I promise that you simply’re gonna love what you all see.”
Three years later, Saleh can be taking an 18-33 file 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 are not any excuses now anymore for Saleh, and no extra mulligans.
It’s previous time for him to win, and win massive. 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 Middle, that he was employed to be the CEO chief Gase was not.
Greater than the coach of the protection. The coach of the complete group.
Nobody will care whether or not Rodgers continues to foyer for him if Saleh doesn’t at least coach a playoff group.
Nobody will care how effectively 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 rework into Kyle Shanahan and whisper invaluable candy somethings into offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett’s ear. But it surely behooves Saleh to indicate the proprietor that he’s a minimum of attempting to be the coach of the complete group.
“Simply perceive what they’re attempting to perform and simply attempting to supply some perception from a defensive perspective,” Saleh stated at Jets OTAs of his contributions to the offense. “I’ll have options identical to some other head coach.”
Garrett Wilson welcomes them.
“We’ve had some nice conversations about ball,” Wilson stated. “The truth that he values my opinion as a lot as he does, I’ll by no means take that as a right. 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 executed. He’s had loads of these [defensive] guys for 3 years now, so possibly that’s the place you see him enterprise on to the offensive facet. Guys know their stuff now. “
It’s tough to get previous the notion that Aaron Rodgers isn’t the top coach (and GM) of the New York Jets. It could be comforting for followers to acknowledge and acknowledge that that is Robert Saleh’s group.
He and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich should area an elite protection with stars at every degree — 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 wished to play for him. And wished to proceed taking part in 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 approach 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 stated, “we’ll be fairly rattling good.”
All gasoline, no brake, please.