The New York Jets defense had its fair share of struggles over the past two weeks. In Week 1, the Jets allowed third-string running back Jordan Mason to rush for 147 yards on 28 carries. While Week 2 saw the defense clamp down a bit, the unit has not yet hit the expectations Jets fans are used to.
The rough start has some fans questioning the Jets’ coaches, but one former NFL head coach isn’t buying into the criticism.
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In a conversation with “Betano,” former NFL head coach Mike Smith preached patience to New York fans and gave hefty praise to Jets head coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
Despite the defense’s struggles through the first two weeks of the season, the former Atlanta Falcons head coach expects more to come from this Jets unit. In fact, Smith described Saleh and Ulbrich as “two of the best defensive minds” in the NFL.
“I really like Jeff Ulbrich and Robert Saleh,” said Smith. “They’re two of the best defensive minds in the game today. I’m sure they’ll bounce back, they have players on all three levels with defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, C.J. Mosley on [the] second level, and then cornerback Sauce Gardner.”
Certainly, the two coaches have lived up to that praise over the past two seasons. However, this year has seen a rocky start for the defense. The Jets are currently ranked 24th with 350.5 yards per game allowed.
However, similar to quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ preachings of patience through hardship, Smith is not worried about the Jets this early in the season.
“I do believe that with Aaron Rodgers and their roster, they can still be a force at the end of the season,” Smith said. “Garrett Wilson is coming off a 1,000-yard season, and now he has Rodgers running the offense. He has a good chance of beating that yardage this season. He should have more touchdown receptions than the three he got last year.”
While the passing yardage has yet to come for New York, the connection between the two Jets has been apparent early this season. Against the Titans, the two adlibbed a play based on the coverage, leading to a big gain in a pivotal third-down situation.
This is as good as it gets man.
3rd and 1, Rodgers ID's man coverage.
Make no mistake, this is an ad-libbed route from GW.
GW flips his hips to track the ball while it's already in the air!
Great ball from Rodgers but outstanding ball tracking from G5 here in a must convert. pic.twitter.com/dOgjlva2Yq— Andrew Fialkow (@afialkow21) September 16, 2024
Whether the Jets will attain success remains to be seen. However, it’s becoming clear that they have no shortage of believers as they enter a pivotal stretch of their season.
