Flip the calendar back to a happier time, August 2023, when the New York Jets were forced to practice under the bright lights of HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” A happier time for all involved with this organization, no doubt, as a new quarterback arrived on the Florham Park block—ready to represent the missing puzzle piece.
After all, these Jets were just “one quarterback away” from greatness. In four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion Aaron Rodgers, the Joe Douglas–Robert Saleh Jets acquired that very piece.
A plethora of headlines appeared throughout the entire Aaron Rodgers show (oops, I mean Hard Knocks), but the most notable moment pertaining to the current time is one that probably doesn’t stand out immediately.
The degree to which Jeff Ulbrich and the defense drooled over Rodgers’s practice film speaks volumes.
“Guys, we’re going to be in every game,” Ulbrich told his defense in August of 2023 when speaking about what Rodgers does for the unit. “Guys, this is a cross-the-field, on the back-shoulder … look at this.”
“I don’t know if there’s another human on Earth who can make that throw,” Ulbrich added. “He’s our quarterback. He’s ours. He’s ours.”
The camera then pans to Jets defenders talking it up amongst themselves with excitement leading the way, particularly zooming in on Sauce Gardner’s tremendous smile while thinking about the wins to come.
Shame on us; we should have seen it coming.
Then there’s Saleh, who couldn’t be more thrilled to have No. 8 in the building.
After a gigantic deep breath, almost by way of relief, Saleh proclaimed, “He’s obviously the best quarterback I’ve ever had on the team.”
Saleh then said something that pretty much gave the game away, almost as if he were counting on it to happen, leaning on the man a bit too much.
“Everyone is chasing the top-tier quarterback because they change games; they change entire locker rooms.”
Well, in theory, they can change games. They can change locker rooms. But theory is a far cry from practice, and even practice is a far cry from standards.
Not even Patrick Mahomes could have saved the 2024 New York Jets.
Think about Ulbrich’s message to his defense in the video above and how, interestingly, the defense responded to it. They celebrated as if the most rotten cancer had previously been playing quarterback for them.
Granted, Zach Wilson did not get the job done, but today’s point does not deal with the BYU youngster. Forget the actual production at the quarterback position for a moment.
If true leadership is in the building, and it starts with the head coach, the emotional cues and verbiage used in reference to even an Aaron Rodgers type wouldn’t look and sound so desperate.
Sure, the defense far exceeded the offensive production in 2022, but sheesh, fellas, let’s not pretend we’re the 1985 Chicago Bears. Saleh’s first season nearly saw Ulbrich booted out of town. Yet, despite such a porous first season, the divide between offense and defense was out of control from all angles (fan, media, and even player).
How in the world did that happen? How did the idea that the Jets were just “one quarterback away” come to fruition with such ferocity?
Well, no matter the specifics, it boils down to a lack of leadership, meshed with zero innovation (ultra-conservative game plans in an aggressive league). And that’s exactly where the Jets must start when seeking their next head coach.
When drilling down further, however, what are the more precise traits the Jets currently need in their next leader? We now rank those traits below …
4. Innovative
If all things are equal, the preferred route is to opt for the offensive mind. Today’s brand of football is unlike anything we’ve seen in the past. It’s faster-paced, more east-west, and deals more with deception than ever before.
Oh yeah, it also caters to the offense to a degree that drives defensive minds up any type of wall.
In a perfect world, I’d take Ben Johnson or Todd Monken in a heartbeat. The Detroit Lions offensive coordinator is doing impressive things with Jared Goff, whereas Monken continues to get the most out of Lamar Jackson.
Even if the Lions’ NFL-best offensive line is the key to Johnson and Goff’s freedom to freelance, the young offensive mind has still showcased an impressive array of ideas.
In the frustrating case of the New York Jets, though, all things are not equal.
Despite any form of pushback, there is an incredible amount of talent in the building. Joe Douglas wasn’t fired for his personnel failures; it instead boiled down to not letting his employer know that he picked the wrong coach.
Innovation is a must, and that idea doesn’t just apply to the offensive side of the ball. Who are the candidates that have innovated to the point that other teams are copying?
3. Versatile
The name of today’s schematic game is versatility. Period.
Similar to how Douglas stayed true to his head coach (that foxhole mentality), Robert Saleh stayed true to his outdated defensive scheme. Once thriving with the Legion of Boom over a decade ago, most coaches have moved away from the all-too-stubborn Wide 9 while relentlessly attacking gaps.
“All Gas, No Brake” wasn’t just a mentality; it specifically dealt with the run fits.
Think about it: How many times can this Jets defense find itself beaten by the same rushing concepts before they actually alter the mindset? Counters, powers, traps, misdirections, and screens were continuously used against this Jets front because they rarely put situation above scheme on the priority scorecard.
The Jets’ next coach must be one who doesn’t just live and die with the game of football but is also willing to be a chameleon when the time calls for such a move.
Versatility in a football squad’s headman is crucial. The modern NFL has no more use for the stubborn ancient relics of yesteryear.
2. Accountable
I mean, if you’re one of the many NFL fans who are desperately sick of seeing yellow on the ground, then don’t you dare think about turning on the Jets game (or take a walk in a dog-heavy area when fresh snow has fallen, for that matter).
New York currently ranks 30th in penalties per game this season (7.6) and 31st in the NFL with 65.8 penalty yards per contest. In 2023, the Saleh-led team ranked 29th in penalty yards per game, and then 28th in 2022.
Year after year, the boneheaded penalties furiously flew from pockets.
Although a case can be made that penalties and turnovers aren’t nearly as important to success as they used to be, there’s no running from this ugliness.
More important is the fact that accountability stretches far beyond the penalty column.
The moment the young Jets initially burst onto the scene in 2022, after defeating the Green Bay Packers and moving to 4-2 on the season, one of their players publicly complained about not getting the ball enough.
Now, folks, do we actually think a well-led team that’s held to account would see a second-year player do such a thing? And in the rare case it does happen, how does a winning organization allow him to remain in that locker room for the rest of the season?
Yet, Elijah Moore remained with the Jets.
Saleh would often reply with, “He knows,” when asked why one of his players committed a brutal penalty. He’d often say, “Listen, nobody feels worse than the player himself,” when asked about something that went awry.
Sure, these players are grown men and professionals, but what does that have to do with accountability? Constant reminders and intentional annoyance are often tremendous exercises when leading if only to drill the point home to a human’s subconscious—which is a hell of a thing in its own right.
Any player who is not on his toes at all times while simultaneously feeling secure in the support around him is simply holding the ship back.
Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and current Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores are two names that hold their players accountable.
1. Authentic
Lastly yet most importantly, the Jets’ next head coach must be authentic.
Yes, each of these four traits deals with leadership, the attribute this organization is missing most. Innovation is the one trait that least deals with leadership, but it’s still very much included in today’s strategy-led National Football League.
Was Robert Saleh authentic?
I simply am not sure.
And if that’s the answer, we have a major problem.
Whether the man is gleeful, bitter, or an absolute curmudgeon, there is no one-size-fits-all personality that thrives as a head coach (or leader). Look at Bill Belichick, a man who’d never be confused with Jerry Glanville or Pete Carroll.
Ok, somebody might argue that Rich Kotite was authentic; but hey, come on … can you at least name somebody who brings at least a semblance of something else to the table? Genuineness is the sheer starting point, the building block for which everything else is possible (or not).
The closest moment Saleh reached true authenticity was when he decided to “take receipts.” And not coincidentally, the young Jets actually responded to the fiery words their head coach had after their Week 1 blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Authenticity just isn’t about press-conference messages such as that, or such as Herm Edwards’s classic 2002 rant that ultimately kickstarted this franchise’s last AFC East crown. It’s the personality trait that begins and ultimately establishes all relationships.
Genuine people are easy to spot. One rarely has to think about it. When asked if another human is genuine, anything but an immediate “yes” usually means trouble.
If your average human doesn’t have many issues spotting the fraud, then football players have a breeze in this area. There’s nothing worse than a locker room or practice field when the players, by and large, believe the leader is somebody he’s not pretending to be.
Worse yet, a football team has no chance when the leader is afraid to display just one of the infinite forms of human emotion.
They can spot it from a mile away, which means the New York Jets’ next head coach must be the genuine article—no matter his usual demeanor or disposition.
