NY Jets: Robert Saleh takes subtle shots at Sean Payton, Broncos

Robert Saleh’s shots at Sean Payton may have been the best New York Jets trolling yet

The New York Jets really won’t live down their revenge against Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos. Vengeance for Nathaniel Hackett. Vengeance for Aaron Rodgers and Joe Douglas. And, apparently, some sweet vengeance for Robert Saleh.

The Jets’ head coach tends to try to be subtle in his comments. That’s why he surprises you when he lets some great lines slip.

Asked what the difference was in the defensive performance between the first and second half, Saleh paused.

“Let me say this the right way. They were getting us on a lot of screens and the quarterback was getting a lot of yardage with his feet,” he said. “It was just a matter of taking out the screen game, taking out the QB scramble, make him play quarterback. Felt like the way they were calling it wasn’t letting him play quarterback, but, anyway.”

Saleh had a sort of wry look on his face as he said that. He was directly referencing Payton’s comments from the offseason. The Broncos’ coach had said, “It’s not just Russell (Wilson). It was a (poor) offensive line. It might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL. That’s how bad it was.”

Payton’s play-calling left much to be desired in the game, most notably an ill-fated reverse to Marvin Mims that resulted in a botched exchange and a Quinton Jefferson fumble recovery. Sauce Gardner was out of the game on the play, and Craig James took his place. Payton completely let the Jets’ defense off the hook.

Overall, the Broncos coach had his comments age like milk. Saleh was happy to rub it in his face, just a little bit.

Quest for a blowout

Earlier in the press conference, Saleh made another sly comment, saying, “Just offensively overall, we’ve got to better in the red zone. We probably could’ve blown that team out of the water.”

It seems that the Jets’ coach wanted to do exactly that.

Although Saleh tried to downplay the significance of the game by pointing to the general difficulty of winning in the NFL, he admitted that it was a special game for Hackett. He couldn’t help but add that the Jets put up over 400 yards and 31 points against the Broncos.

The Jets are getting their money’s worth in shots at the Broncos. Payton, though, has bigger concerns to worry about, leading a 1-4 team. But, hey, he has a natural excuse — his predecessor did a terrible job.