Robert Saleh believes in Jets' plan despite their dismal record
Robert Saleh wants the Jets’ understandably frustrated fans to have more patience and believes they have a reason to be thankful.
Even though the Jets are careening toward an 11th straight season without a playoff berth, Saleh said these are not the same old Jets because of the people in charge.
Saleh strongly believes that the vision and plan that he and general manager Joe Douglas have put in place will lead to success that is real and spectacular . . . in time.
"I respect the urgency from the fans and the wanting to flip this thing," Saleh said. "But in fairness, this is the first time this fan base is actually experiencing something like this. Usually, it’s been a quick fix followed by a scramble. This is an actual plan.
"I feel like Joe is doing a phenomenal job, a really, really concise plan of how to build from the ground up. There’s a lot of exciting pieces on this team that are hidden in these losses."
The Jets are 2-8, tied with the Jaguars and Texans for the second-worst record in the NFL. The Jets will face Houston on Sunday in Zach Wilson’s return after missing four games with a knee injury.
The Jets currently have the No. 2 pick in the draft as well as No. 6, which they acquired from Seattle for Jamal Adams. They’re in position to add quality pieces, which should help this particular rebuild.
For Jets fans, it probably sounds like a broken record.
It didn’t take Saleh long to learn how sick and tired his team’s fans are of losing.
"I was joking with somebody that one year in New York is like dog years," the first-year head coach said. "There is euphoria or disaster; there is no in-between."
The fans hoped Saleh’s hiring after two dreadful seasons under Adam Gase would produce immediate results. But the Jets have been outscored by 142 points — the most in the league — putting Saleh, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich directly in the crosshairs.
"We embrace the expectation," Saleh said. "We’re trying to teach this young group and these young men how to win these games. It’s all about the process and trying to find ways to get better and get these scars — I call them scars in terms of game-day experiences — but it’s going to get turned."
Saleh referenced rebuilds he’s gone through in Houston, Seattle, Jacksonville and San Francisco and said they all started similarly. He was an assistant coach on a Super Bowl-winning team with Seattle and reached another title game as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator.
"One thing in this league, you’ve got to have patience," right tackle Morgan Moses said. "Rome wasn’t built in one day and this thing is not going to turn around in one day."
The Jets’ plan is to build through the draft and have the flexibility to acquire impact players through free agency and trades without overspending.
They want a roster mixed with youth and young veterans while the coaches teach and stress fundamentals, technique and mastering the systems on both sides of the ball.
"There’s so many promising pieces on this football team," Saleh said. "To Joe’s credit, he knows exactly where we need to get. We know exactly what we need to teach, and the players know exactly what we need to get better at."
Douglas is the Jets’ fourth general manager and Saleh is their fourth coach since their last playoff appearance.
John Idzik replaced Mike Tannenbaum as general manager, and the Idzik era was a disaster. Mike Maccagnan brought in veterans, overspending for many, and drafted poorly. Todd Bowles, who replaced Rex Ryan, went 10-6 in his first season, then won 14 games in his final three.
The clock is ticking on third-year GM Douglas.
His first draft class last year has earned him some criticism. This draft class, which Saleh called "fantastic," looks good thus far. Ultimately it will be judged by what Wilson becomes.
"This team’s moving in the right direction," Saleh said. "I’m really excited about the flip that it’s going to have. And I think Jets fans, for this, are going to be very happy."
