Robert Saleh Comically Addressed His Unfortunate Sideline Collision With Zach Wilson

The Jets coach compared the incident to a classic film.

Once upon a time, Jets coach Robert Saleh was a bruising tight end on four decent Northern Michigan teams from 1997-2000.

Saleh's playing career put him on the road to a distinguished coaching career—one that took him to the Legion of Boom-era Seawhawks, coach Kyle Shanahan's 49ers, and now New York. But's Saleh's playing days are long behind him, and he was forced to humorously acknowledge as much during his press conference Tuesday afternoon.

The topic was a collision between Saleh and beleaguered Jets quarterback Zach Wilson on the sideline during New York's 32-6 loss to the Bills Sunday.

Robert Saleh was asked about his "tackle" of Zach Wilson on Sunday:

"My reaction time is severely diminished... I forgot that I'm old" 😂 pic.twitter.com/xNJ0qmj1Y8

— Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 21, 2023

"You guys ever watch that movie... where that little cart is going really, really slow and he's like, 'Stop!' even though it's a mile away? That's how I felt on game day," Saleh chuckled, referencing 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.

The "tackle" was about the only positive statistic for Wilson, who was benched after putting up seven completions for 81 yards, a touchdown and an interception in three quarters of action.

"My reaction time is severely diminished, for the first time ever," Saleh said. "I was trying to catch him, but obviously I forgot that I'm old."