A losing season doesn't doom Saleh, but not all losing season are created equal. Take the 2020 Bengals (4-11-1). Six of their losses were double-digits, and five were lost by one-score. The Bengals also had two double-digit wins two one-score wins and, of course, the tie. Zac Taylor had the team and, importantly, Joe Burrow (13:5 TD:INT ratio, 65% comp, 2.5K+ yards) moving in the right direction. The Bengals FO retained Taylor. they're an ascendant team currently in playoff contention. Compare that against the 2018 Cardinals (3-13). Nine of their losses were by double-digits and five were lost by one-score. The Cards had one double-digit win and two one-score wins. Steve Wilks had the team and, importantly, Josh Rosen (11:14 TD:INT ratio, 55% comp, 2.2K+ yards) moving in the wrong direction. The Cardinals FO fired Wilks and Rosen after one season. They reset with Kingsbury and Murray and are an ascendant team currently in playoff contention. Steve Wilks is currently the defensive coordinator for the Missouri Tigers. At this point, the 2021 Jets are 2-8. Six of their losses were by double-digits, and two were lost by one-score. (The Jets certainly were in the Panthers and Falcons games, but their first-half offensive performances were dreadful.) The book isn't closed on the 2021 season and Robert Saleh. Yes, he has the Jets defense giving up a historic amount of yards and points, including one of the worst losses in franchise history to the Pats. However, Saleh followed that up with a surprise win against the Bengals. In limited time, he has Zach Wilson (4:9 TD:INT ratio, 57.5% comp, 1.1K+ yards) performing more like Rosen than Burrow, but most assumed that Wilson's transition would take time. Obviously, these are just simple comparative stats. Conventional wisdom says stick with Saleh for a year. But there can be dividends to hitting the reset button early and not wasting time with a bad hire. That is particularly true if there's a candidate your organization wants who is definitely available (e.g., maybe a Pederson, Harbaugh, or Campbell).
That kind Sir, is the $64K question... Either way, it requires massive losses followed by excuses for more rebuilding which leads to more massive losses..
He should quit then as he seems over his head right now. The team is lifeless and that was one thing I didn't expect to see from Saleh. This was the guy hyping up his defense and when they delivered he got excited. Where is that guy now?
There are guys who make great HC's. There are guys who make great coordinators and there are guys who can't be both.
I would be happy to revisit this subject at the end of year three. May be right, may be wrong. but rotating GM and coaching staff at the drop of a hat. without giving the plan its due course is massively ineffective and a bad knee jerk approach strongly applied by teams that never amount to anything in the long run. Jets, Lions, Giants, Bears, Jax, Cleveland and others are living proof of that. If you think the next guy will turn it around on a dime think again. All the great NFL coaches are taken, either we develop our own for once and keep him or get left overs that failed else where.
Well, Saleh needs to show something then. Blank stares from the sidelines ain't cutting it. It looks like LaFleur is hitting his stride but the defense has been awful and that is Saleh department. He will survive this year but next year if they are looking like this he will need to go.
There are guys who can do both Belicheck was a good coordinator. Tony Dungy was a good coordinator, Parcells, Rex Ryan. But I get your point. Just don't know when the luck will finally reach the Jets.
Spot on! The prospects of having to struggle for another year or two aren't appealing, but are more desirable than scrapping this plan before whether we see if it works or not, and starting over again from scratch with a different plan. I don't think Weeb Ewbank or Vince Lombardi could have turned this year's team into a winner. Posters can gripe and complain all they want, but the reality is that until these young players learn and develop, and until more holes are filled, the team will continue to struggle. We need another edge, we need several TEs, we need another RB, we need a FB, we desperately need upgrades at C, RG and RT, and probably need another WR or two. We need at least 2 more starting LBs and better depth. We need at least 1, if not 2 starting Safeties, and better depth. We need to be able to improve the team in FA, as we need more experienced veterans. Hopefully, we will be able to add 1-2 TEs in FA, a FB, a LB or two, a S or two, and at least better OL depth, if not a quality starter or two in FA. Fans need to reset their expectations. If not, they are just going to continue to make themselves and others miserable. The Johnsons aren't going to sell the team, and they're not going to fire JD or Saleh. They'll get at least one more year if not two. Just as it can take players 1-3 years for the light to go on, the same goes for the CS. I said in an earlier post in another thread that the NFL ought to be more like businesses, where egos are put aside and there are development seminars and coaching sessions and mentors for managers and execs. That needs to happen in the NFL with HCs, Coordinators and position coaches.
I liked your Post NC ..but the business model doesn't exist in the NFL: development seminars and coaching for execs /managers? It is just not how it works I am more inclined to accept JD with his flaws because at least he has a vision /plan that like you said we should see through eg building through the draft adding younger players. 75% of your post correctly states we need depth TEs upgrades at OL and FA signing. But that has everything to do with the GM and not the CS I am rapidly losing patience with this set of Coaches ...why reward their incompetence with more time?? In other words we know the Johnsons are clueless and will keep this CS around . But I think the Owners respect JD enough to go for an immediate change if Saleh loses 6 more games and Zach shows little progress....my respect for GM Douglas will be zero if he endorses failure and mediocrity
Good post the Jets just extend loser Coaches like Bowles because they have no insight and Mac was happy to be extended even without doing anything! Just stupid to reward failure I would rather start at scratch like Arizona...intelligently of course. JD blew it hiring Saleh, he should get a second chance getting a better team to coach his new players
Absolutely correct. How these last six games play out will determine how the offseason goes. If theres’ progress, even if it’s six losses but the Jets show fight and Wilson improves — it’ll go a long way towards improving Saleh’s standing and chances of a return.
I hate to break it to you but the Jets have 7 games left to play. Most NFL fans are overjoyed that the NFL granted them an extra game. For the Jets fans it's yet another drip on the forehead in the great water torture that Jet football has turned into.
I know that's not how it is in the NFL. My point is that's how it should be. IMO there would be fewer GMs and HCs fail if there was more effort spent on ensuring that they succeed. It would benefit everyone. In a sense, there is some of that, because there is a development program of sorts for younger coaches and they identify top candidates. All it would take would be for one or two owners to think outside the box, and hire former HCs, GMs, team Presidents as consultants. There are enough owners in the NFL who made their fortunes in the business world, that I'm a little surprised that this hasn't happened before. In terms of the holes and depth, yes that's the GM, but with as many holes and as little talent as the Jets had when JD was hired, 10 years of bad drafting and FA moves wasn't getting fixed in 1-2 offseasons. If Saleh is retained, it doesn't mean that JD would be endorsing failure and mediocrity. That's impatient thinking, not your normal rational thinking. If it's ok for players to learn on the job, why isn't it ok for coaches to learn on the job? They do anyway. Saleh may ultimately fail and need to be fired, but at least at this point, I disagree that he should be fired at the end of this season unless the team continues to get blown out in every game and the team continues to look unprepared to play and play with no passion. Even then, if the young players are developing and playing better, then there still may be reason to give Saleh one more season. He could do a lot of soul searching during the offseason and realize that his big mistake was not being fiery and passionate like he was with the Niners, and could come back next season with a totally different approach to handling the team. With another season in this system, and with a different approach, and with getting injured players back, and addressing more holes in the offseason, things could look much better next season. The Jets have lost a ton of key starters and players this season to injury. On top of the holes they had, all the young players, new complex schemes, and a basically rookie CS, there was no way this team wasn't going to struggle and perhaps struggle badly this season. As I said in my post, this team wouldn't have won with Lombardi or Ewbank. I think your expectations weren't or aren't realistic, my friend.
Well, it is a known fact that plenty of people turned down the Jets head coaching job and the Jets kinda settled on Saleh. Just like the Mets couldn't hire a GM for almost a month. Everyone either turned them down or wasn't made available to them to even interview.
