While Robert Saleh’s 20-36 record as the New York Jets’ head coach was quite disappointing, he consistently produced high-level defensive units.
Now, he is about to begin his second head-coaching stint, this time with the Tennessee Titans, where he will also be calling their defense.
As Gang Green gets ready for their Week 1 clash against Tennessee, offensive coordinator Frank Reich had one word to describe Saleh’s defensive approach.
“Aggressive,” Reich said of Saleh’s defense. “Traditionally, he has been on point and has earned the reputation for being one of the better defensive minds, and then he paired with Gus Bradley, the defensive coordinator, who I know well, ultimate respect
for those guys; what they do, how they play, how they coach. You can see it in their players. They have a unique style and brand of play. It’ll be a good challenge for us.”
Unlike his time as the Jets’ HC, when he delegated play-calling to defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, Saleh will be calling the Titans’ defense. It will be interesting to see how he operates in his first game with that setup. To help ease the transition, Tennessee picked up a whopping five former Jets defenders who played under Saleh in New York.
We recently broke down the Jets’ coaching disadvantage compared to Tennessee. New York’s coaching duo of Reich and Aaron Glenn has more to prove than the Titans’ pairing of Saleh and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
For Reich, it’s all about getting Geno Smith into a rhythm. That starts with strong protection up front and a strong game plan that suits the quarterback’s strengths, which Reich’s scheme seems to be tailor-made for.
Smith has been one of the most accurate quarterbacks in football since 2022. If Reich can help him get comfortable, the Jets’ offense will hum.
We will see how difficult Saleh’s aggressive defense makes it for Smith to reach that comfort zone.
