Did the Jets Make a Good Hire With Robert Saleh?
After a 4-13 season in 2021, the question needs to be asked.
While the jury is still out on that question, the answer thus far is no.
The alarming part of the Saleh hire is found on the defensive side of the ball. Defense is his area of expertise after serving as San Francisco’s Defensive Coordinator from 2017-2020.
In 2021, Saleh’s first in New York, the defense nosedived going from No. 16 in 2019, to No. 26 in 2020, down to last place in his inaugural season.
Defensive sack totals, the run and pass defense hit three-year low league rankings.
New York is a tough town that demands strong personalities to win. Those with softer personalities do not survive. You can look at the chronicle of coaches throughout the years to fill in the blanks.
The offensive side of the ball did show slight improvement from ranking last in 2019 and 2020, and went up to No. 26.
There was significant change in the passing game, going up to the No. 20 ranking (up from ranking No. 29 in 2019 and No. 31 in 2020). However, there was drop off in rushing (No. 25 after ranking No. 22 in 2020) and the team gave up more sacks than they have in the past three seasons (53).
While some attempt to insulate the Jets with excuses, that’s not where I come from, and it certainly is not where the staff I worked with came from. The term “rebuild” wasn’t part of Bill Parcells’ vocabulary.
Parcells took over the Jets in 1997 (who had gone 1-15 in 1996), went 9-7 in 1997, and won the AFC East and went to the AFC Championship game in 1998.
It can be done, but bottom line, Saleh is not getting it done.
The question begs to be asked, what kind of research went into the Jets hiring Saleh?
Saleh was hired from Kyle Shanahan’s staff in San Francisco. It was a staff that had produced 3/4 losing seasons prior to Douglas hiring Saleh.
When looking at Saleh’s defensive rankings, nothing outside of the 2019 season stands out.
49ers’ defensive rankings under Saleh:
2017: No. 25
2018: No. 28
2019: No. 8
2020: No. 17
Where did team General Manager Joe Douglas find the justification to hire Saleh in those numbers?
That is something only he can answer.
It doesn’t help that new 49ers’ Defensive Coordinator DeMeco Ryans produced the No. 9 ranking last season after taking over.
The question now is, will Saleh be able to turn things around in New York?
If he does, I will be the first to write a glowing article about the turn around, but if he doesn’t, might this be Saleh’s last year with the Jets?
It is very possible.
If the Jets turn in another dismal year, someone will be held accountable and my guess is, it will be Saleh. It is possible if the coming season goes south, we may see Mike LaFleur as the interim head coach by season’s end.
At this point, the Jets have taken on more of LaFleur’s offensive personality rather than Saleh’s defensive personality.
As a former Jets’ pro scout, it appears Saleh’s success in 2019 had more to do with the 49ers’ talent level than his ability to successfully strategize.
That is what the numbers suggest.
LaFleur was faced with the same challenges from a talent standpoint as Saleh was last season. LaFleur responded with creativity and overall improvement on offense, while the defense did nothing to compensate.
They did not even attempt to try anything different.
The defense under coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, and the watchful eye of Saleh stayed in the same worn out defensive looks that had not been effective all season, waiting on Douglas to bring in more talent through free agency and the draft.
Ulbrich gets credited with the poor results manifested by the unit, but let’s not kid ourselves, who ultimately is responsible.
In 2008, the Miami Dolphins went from being the worst team in the league the previous season to the playoffs with the invention of “The Wildcat.”
Granted, that was an offensive strategy, but the point being, some coaches improvise and others don't.
Ironically, Parcells was the Dolphins’ Executive Vice President of Football Operations, when Miami experienced that turnaround.
With the Jets facing a challenging upcoming schedule and three playoff caliber teams within their division, how will Saleh respond?
Only time will tell.
Was Saleh a good hire?
We will know by December.
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