Panic Move? Desperate Jets Fire Robert Saleh After Disappointing Start

Desperate times require desperate measures, which is the only explanation for why the New York Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh Tuesday morning, five games into the season. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been elevated to interim head coach.The Jets were beaten 23-17 in London on Sunday to drop to 2-3. It was the Jets’ second straight loss, but they are only one game behind the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East. The firing is even more curious in that Mr. Saleh is a defensive coach, yet the offense led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers sputtered the last two weeks.“This was not an easy decision,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said in a statement. “But we are not where we should be given our expectations, and I believe now is the best time for us to move in a different direction.”Mr. Johnson called Mr. Ulbrich “a tough coach” who is respected by the players. “I believe he along with the coaches on this staff can get the most out of our talented team and attain the goal we established this offseason.”The Jets play the Bills on Monday night at MetLife Stadium.Mr. Saleh, hired before the 2021 season, told NFL Insider Jay Glazer he was “blindsided” by the firing. He was 20-36 with the Jets, including a 4-13 record his first season and 7-10 last year when Mr. Rodgers went down with a season-ending injury four plays into the regular season.This was the season, the Jets would have a healthy Mr. Rodgers playing behind a revamped offensive line with explosive talents in running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson. But the Jets got a reality check when they were drilled 32-19 by the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers in the season opener. Wins over the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots seemed to point the team in the right direction, but poor offensive showings led to back-to-back losses against the Denver Broncos and the unbeaten Vikings.Much of the discussion during Mr. Saleh’s media session on Monday was about the dysfunction of the offense, which ranks 27th in the league in total yards and 25th in points scored. The lack of a running game is glaring. Mr. Hall was expected to have an All-Pro-type season but has rushed for just 197 yards and two touchdowns in five games. Mr. Wilson, a former offensive rookie of the year, has just 292 receiving yards and two touchdowns.Mr. Saleh tried to explain the offensive issues during his press conference on Monday when there was no indication his job was in jeopardy. “We’ve taken a lot of negative plays,” he said, adding, “Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been living in third-and-long and it’s led to a lack of efficiency.”Whether Mr. Rodgers had any influence on the coaching change is uncertain. The relationship has been in question since the Patriots game on Sept. 19 when Mr. Rodgers came off the field and gave Mr. Saleh a shove when the coach went to hug him. Both brushed off the incident with Mr. Rodgers saying, “He’s not a big hugger usually.”The two also seemed at odds after the loss to Denver when Mr. Saleh questioned whether Mr. Rodgers should “dial back” his cadence to draw defenses offside, suggesting it contributed to the Jets being called for five false starts during the game. Mr. Rodgers responded by telling the media, that players should be held more “accountable” for their mistakes.Mr. Rodgers, 40, is in the second year of a three-year contract worth $112.5 million. The Jets are clearly in a win-now mode and Mr. Johnson decided change was needed. It’s the first time in his 25 years of ownership that he has fired a head coach in the middle of the season.Mr. Ulbrich might be the interim coach, but the Jets are Mr. Rodgers’ team now. The quarterback flexed his power during the offseason when he skipped a mandatory mini-camp in what Mr. Saleh termed an “unexcused absence.” Mr. Rodgers reportedly took a pre-planned trip to Egypt.It’s also notable that Nathaniel Hackett, a close friend of Mr. Rodgers remains the offensive coordinator despite the offensive woes. “It looks like there was a power struggle between the quarterback, the offensive coordinator, and the head coach,” long-time Jets follower Pete Marion told The New York Sun. “The quarterback won the struggle. We’ll see if this works.”

Panic Move? Desperate Jets Fire Robert Saleh After Disappointing Start

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