Saleh changed Jets’ vibe, but now it must transfer to field
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) » The vibe around the New York Jets began to change the day Robert Saleh was hired as coach.
The stench of a 2-14 season instantly dissipated and the disappointment and frustration of 10 straight years without a postseason appearance began to fade.
The team was overwhelmingly excited about Saleh’s arrival. And the hiring was met with rare approval by both long-suffering fans and critical media. Maybe — just maybe — the Jets finally got this right.
“His character and passion,” Jets vice chairman Christopher Johnson said in January, “are what this team needs.”
Fast forward almost eight months and Saleh’s impact is clear with his “All Gas, No Brake” mantra etched into the minds of the players and on the facility doors. Saleh has engineered a culture change around a franchise that needed an exorcism.
But now, it all must transfer to the field. And stay there. Starting in Week 1 at Carolina.
“I’m anticipating a lot of learning moments throughout this entire season,” Saleh said. “We’ve gotten some great opportunities with regards to game management and reviews and timeouts and all that stuff. The difficulty level is only going to amplify once the regular season hits. So, there’s still going to be many more learning opportunities to come.”
The players have bought in, though. And they appreciate Saleh’s breath-of-fresh air philosophy.
“I mean this in the nicest way possible: The Jets’ previous head coaches have been gurus,” center Connor McGovern said. “They have been into X’s and O’s and, ‘We’re going to beat you with the better scheme.’ Saleh is: ‘We’re going to beat you because we work harder and play with higher effort.’ He is what I would call a leader of men.
“He doesn’t think X’s and O’s win football games. He knows players win football games. He’s the kind of guy that is going to motivate everybody.”
NEW QB IN TOWN The next phase of the franchise’s shift came when the Jets traded Sam Darnold to the Panthers and drafted Zach Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick.
The former BYU star has impressed his coaches and teammates with his tireless preparation, and his solid summer provided a measure of confirmation to what Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas already believed: Wilson can be their QB for years to come.
The Jets have been looking for a consistently successful quarterback since the days of Joe Namath. And Wilson will head into the season as the latest to try to shoulder those lofty expectations.
“I have confidence in myself and this team and I shouldn’t just tell myself, ‘Oh, there’s going to be rookie mistakes,’” Wilson said. “You know, there is, but you can still do well with rookie mistakes, you can still learn from those. You can make a mistake in a game, but still finish strong and just move on.”