Robert Saleh's message for young, enthusiastic Jets: Stay hungry
Braxton Berrios #10 of the New York Jets celebrates a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins with head coach Robert Saleh of the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium on October 9, 2022. Credit: Getty Images/Edward Diller
The Jets’ rookie class is generating plenty of buzz and excitement, and the future finally looks bright for the franchise. The present is starting to look promising, too.
Robert Saleh wants all of his players to enjoy their 3-2 start — which few outside of the Jets’ offices believed possible — but only to a certain point. At noon Monday, his players had to turn their attention to this week’s opponent, Green Bay, because as a team, the Jets haven’t achieved anything yet.
“We haven’t. That’s the truth,” Saleh said during Monday’s Zoom call. “What we’ve accomplished is winning three games out of 17. We’ve got a long way to go to establish ourselves as a team that can . . . whatever.
“If you want to be a team that’s great, you put [winning] in the back shelf and you just keep on moving. We have a big one with Green Bay and we’re going to have a big one the next week and a big one after that.”
The Jets’ 40-17 win over the Dolphins on Sunday was an important steppingstone for them to end some of the ineptitude and futility that has haunted them for years. They snapped a 12-game skid against the AFC East and earned their first home win this year. They recorded their first two-game winning streak since 2020 and moved above .500 this late in the season for the first time since they were 3-2 five years ago.
Saleh’s message: Don’t stop now.
“It’s the ability to compartmentalize and to push,” he said. “Enjoy the win until noon and then move on to Green Bay in terms of taking care of your body and preparing yourself the way you need to. That’s what championship teams do. We got a long way to go before we can ever prove that. To do that, you’ve got to create consistency.
“It’s awesome that we’ve been able to get off to the start we have. At the same time, it doesn’t mean anything because it all starts over every week.”
Rookie running back Breece Hall was impressive against Miami, finishing with 197 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 20 touches.
Rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner continues to impress. He forced a safety on the defense’s first play and later got his first career interception. Gardner also helped hold Miami’s explosive receiving duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to 70 total yards.
In past weeks, rookie receiver Garrett Wilson starred. He caught two touchdown passes in the Jets’ improbable last-second win at Cleveland. Right tackle Max Mitchell was proving himself before suffering a knee injury.
Saleh believes this rookie class still has a long way to go and said “it’s going to be special” when it’s all said and done. The Jets’ more experienced players agree.
“Shout-out to [general manager] Joe Douglas and Saleh,” said first-year Jets cornerback D.J. Reed, who has been in the league since 2018. “They’ve been sensational. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this where guys that were drafted are making this much of an impact so soon. It’s really exciting to see.”
Braxton Berrios said, “They’re kind of years beyond their age as far as the football sense. They just continue to improve. They’re making the plays when they get the opportunity. I’m looking forward to watching them develop throughout the year, but they’ve been incredible.”
Saleh said the Jets are feeding off the energy and enthusiasm that the rookies are providing and thinks the entire team is feeding off each other. He believes they want to break through for this organization and for one another.
“There’s an old saying that you are what you think about,” Saleh said. “If you continually think about and talk about how good you are, then you’re probably going to be pretty good and at least have the confidence to be good. This is a group of guys who are absolutely playing for one another. I think they’re all buying into one another and I think they feed off of that.
“I know the rookies are getting a lot of publicity. They’re the fun ones to talk about, but I think it’s happening all over the football field. It doesn’t mean anything because we got to go do it again. But I really like where this team is at mentally and the way it’s playing for each other.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
