Albert Breer Article: Why Saleh picked the Jets

[Marshmello]

A good read.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/01/25/mmqb-conference-championships-buccaneers-chiefs-super-bowl-daily-cover

 

WHY ROBERT SALEH CHOSE THE JETS

Robert Saleh knew he’d get a bunch of head-coach interviews coming out of the 2020 season and, as all coaches in that spot do, the 49ers’ defensive coordinator spent some time researching each of the teams he’d sit down with. He wound up interviewing with six of the seven teams with openings (the Texans being the exception), and met with three of them (the Jets, Eagles and Chargers) in person

Most of the background he dug up checked out. But there was one exception.

“A lot of the interviews, you go through it, and you’re like, Huh, that’s exactly what people told me it was gonna be,” Saleh told me late Friday. “When I walked into the Jets [interview], the Zoom call, it was like, Oh, that wasn’t that bad. I was expecting something different. I was expecting something disorganized. Instead, what I got was a very organized interview, a very collaborative interview. It felt like it was done really, really well by them.

“And then I was brought here, and you can take every preconceived notion and you can take all the perception and throw it out the window, of what people think of this place, just because of the way [owner] Christopher Johnson, [GM] Joe Douglas and [president] Hymie Elhai were.”

So much so that when Saleh went to get into his car service ride to head off to Florida for his interview with the Eagles, he texted his wife, Sanaa: Honey, if they call, we’re going to New York. They later called and, in a twist befitting Saleh’s good feeling for the organization, he did more than take the job—he actively chose the Jets.

It’s hard to say whether Saleh would’ve gotten multiple offers if he’d waited for things to play out a little longer. What I know is that the fact that Saleh didn’t feel the need to wait is a serious step forward for the organization.

Saleh explained that he very much liked Johnson’s manner, calling the outgoing controlling owner (Christopher’s brother Woody is coming back from his stint as U.S. ambassador to the U.K.) “a sweetheart of a man.” He liked Elhai’s vision, after seeing 21 years of ups and downs from inside the organization, for establishing a healthier, more collaborative environment. And he loved what Douglas was looking for. “Joe genuinely wants a teammate,” he said. “You could feel that. You can feel that he’s looking for someone to partner with.”

“I really believe in people, and when you talk to those three, and the fact that they allowed me into the circle, there’s no way those three are gonna fail,” Saleh said. “When you have a combination of people like that, you almost have to be unlucky not to succeed. I really think they’re gonna get this organization moving in the right direction, and so that’s why it was so intriguing and why I was so excited when the call came in that we had an offer.”

Now, the Jets have the longest running playoff drought in the NFL and are coming off a 2–14 year. There’s a lot of work to be done, and Saleh’s already digging through it, with Mike LaFleur and Jeff Ulbrich on board as his offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively. Deciding Sam Darnold’s fate, and whether to take BYU’s Zach Wilson or Ohio State’s Justin Fields with the second pick, is near the top of the list—my understanding is no decision’s been made—and that’s just one area of the roster that needs reworking.

But there are good options to consider at quarterback, at least, and resources (two first-round picks, five picks in the first three rounds, cap space) to take care of the rest. And after seeing good GM-coach relationships firsthand in Houston (Rick Smith–Gary Kubiak), Seattle (John Schneider–Pete Carroll), Jacksonville (Caldwell–Gus Bradley) and San Francisco (John Lynch–Kyle Shanahan), Saleh think he’s got a clue of what will and won’t work as he and Douglas try to align their beliefs.

“[In Jacksonville], on defense, we were able to build that thing, and we built it into a pretty darn good unit. But on offense it just didn’t work out the way we wanted it to,” Saleh said. “And for really similar reasons, it didn’t work out in Houston on the defensive side, until Wade Phillips got there, just from a scheme standpoint. And then you get to San Francisco, same thing, coaches, scouts collaborating, John and Kyle, unbelievable relationship and just a great focal point on scheme, and what we felt it would take in regards to players, scouts, messaging, all of it tied together, and we go to a Super Bowl.”

Saleh continued diving into what made San Francisco work: “There’s conviction on both sides of the ball; we’re gonna get good players here. We’re gonna find ways to make the players who are here fit within the schemes that we have and those players are going to play to their absolute best. When you combine all those aspects together, I think that’s what creates special organizations.”

And very clearly, Saleh said, as he and Douglas went through everything, it was obvious they both saw this aspect of the job the same way—and that’s a heck of a starting point.

In fact, as a guy who came into the process with the potential to have multiple options, Saleh got exactly what he was looking for. It just came from the place where he may have least expected it to.

“We get one shot at this,” Saleh said. “You get one shot to make an impact, and you want to do it not where you have full say or anything, but you want to do it where you know you can work with the people that are in it. This is still a people business, and it is people that make things special. Having the ability to match with somebody who genuinely wants to do this together, and it’s not, Here’s the players I picked, go coach them, that was a very, very big focal point for me as I went through this process.

“And Joe and Hymie and Christopher, the language they spoke, it became a no-brainer.”

Which is something even Saleh himself didn’t see coming.

[Jetsfan80]

Thank you, Joe Douglas, for finally bringing some professionalism to the organization.  

[peebag]

hmmm...actively selecting to work for the Jets....this coach may be "special".

[Alentador31]

11 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said:

Thank you, Joe Douglas, for finally bringing some professionalism to the organization.  

Makes you wonder how bad our organizational reputation has truly been over the years. 

[AlexVanDyke]

This was a good read and in my opinion highlights some of the unfair criticism of the johnsons.  While some of the hiring has not worked out, the organizational chaos and distinction was always myth largely driven by the ny media and embellished by fans and mass media.

Our biggest pitfall has arguably been the lack of coordination in hiring a GM and HC.  Yes Johnson deserves some blame for that but it’s not like hiring a coach first and than gm has never worked.  Same with the reporting structure issue.  The media makes a big deal of it but it really want.  The jets had two gms that were very poor talent and football  guys and we therefore have consistently had anemic rosters.  T/f we never really had a true chance to succeed.  I always thought the Johnson’s have given everyone a fair shot.  Not too long of a leash and not too short.  Finally looks like we have some good people.  But again, it wasn’t organization distinction; that’s a misperception. 
 

Brandon Marshall said as much the other day.  He said” I’m telling you , they are a good organization, you will get everything you need”.  Think of all the ex players that are fans and loyal too.  Adam’s was one of the few disgruntled and he is certifiably insane.  
 

I agree with saleh.  Good people that simply needed to be aligned and on the same page

[Jetsfan80]

3 minutes ago, AlexVanDyke said:

This was a good read and in my opinion highlights some of the unfair criticism of the johnsons.  While some of the hiring has not worked out, the organizational chaos and distinction was always myth largely driven by the ny media and embellished by fans and mass media.

Our biggest pitfall has arguably been the lack of coordination in hiring a GM and HC.  Yes Johnson deserves some blame for that but it’s not like hiring a coach first and than gm has never worked.  Same with the reporting structure issue.  The media makes a big deal of it but it really want.  The jets had two gms that were very poor talent and football  guys and we therefore have consistently had anemic rosters.  T/f we never really had a true chance to succeed.  I always thought the Johnson’s have given everyone a fair shot.  Not too long of a leash and not too short.  Finally looks like we have some good people.  But again, it wasn’t organization distinction; that’s a misperception. 
 

Brandon Marshall said as much the other day.  He said” I’m telling you , they are a good organization, you will get everything you need”.  Think of all the ex players that are fans and loyal too.  Adam’s was one of the few disgruntled and he is certifiably insane.  
 

I agree with saleh.  Good people that simply needed to be aligned and on the same page

 

 

It's all fine and good that the Johnson's support the players and everything.  It's also true that the Jets have the longest active playoff drought in the NFL.  You don't get to that point if ownership is competent.

Saleh's take is far more indicative of what Douglas has brought to the table than anything the Johnson's are doing.  Douglas ran the coaching search.  This was his hire.  

[Drums]

Hm I heard him say that when news broke about him interviewing with the Jets, everyone was texting him saying how awesome JD was. Then he met him and was like damn. It was love at first sight with those two. A true bromance. Coming to theaters near you, Spring 2021. 

[juxsta]

1 hour ago, Marshmello said:

“When I walked into the Jets [interview], the Zoom call, it was like, Oh, that wasn’t that bad. I was expecting something different. I was expecting something disorganized.

 

Well dam! Just how bad is our rep around the league? 

[Dcat]

45 minutes ago, peebag said:

hmmm...actively selecting to work for the Jets....this coach may be "special".

Special?  OK I'm trying to find out the length of the bus he took to grade school.

[JohnnyLV]

I actually think the Johnsons are pretty decent people and that is one element of why they have struggled.

It is really painful to clean house, and so they always did have of what they should. 

Fire Tanny keep Rex.

Hire Bowles and Mac separately and expect them to work well

Keep Mac hire Gase

In a way they have finally cleaned house. I am pretty excited that the Jets finally have a unified foundation and that shows in Saleh's comments.

[HawkeyeJet]

[kevinc855]

Chris Johnson deserves credit.....he learned from the Gase fiasco.

Chris has proven to be able to adapt and think differently. I hope he stays in an important role so his bafoon brother doesnt screw it up to much

[y2k8]

18 minutes ago, johnnysd said:

I actually think the Johnsons are pretty decent people and that is one element of why they have struggled.

They may or may not be. But I don't think anyone ever criticized the Johnson's for being jerks.

They have been criticized for being incompetent.

The saying nice guys finish last is an expression for a reason.

[AlexVanDyke]

43 minutes ago, y2k8 said:

They may or may not be. But I don't think anyone ever criticized the Johnson's for being jerks.

They have been criticized for being incompetent.

The saying nice guys finish last is an expression for a reason.

Maybe not jerks but chaotic inept incompetents and their were hints of toxic ness.  I point to a guy like Greeny.  He has become an incessant apologist and defender of millionaire players. He plays the player victim card more than anyone; especially as a whole does and is right there.  So this summer with the whole Jamal saga, while most level headed folks called Adam’s for what he was, greeny attacked the jets and ownership and gase and created a perception of disfunction.

 I don’t think saleh was necessarily referring to anything specific but rather the general perception.  Yea the  perception of being losers is very fair and having hired bad people is also fair.  But guys like greeny and media took it much further.

fwiw, I find greenys whole players are victims narrative beyond ridiculous.

[JetPotato]

The biggest thing that concerns me about Saleh is his assessment of the Johnsons. But then again, he's probably just saying nice things cuz they sign the checks. Hopefully, this is all just about JD.

[Sonny Werblin]

20 hours ago, AlexVanDyke said:

This was a good read and in my opinion highlights some of the unfair criticism of the johnsons.  While some of the hiring has not worked out, the organizational chaos and distinction was always myth largely driven by the ny media and embellished by fans and mass media.

Our biggest pitfall has arguably been the lack of coordination in hiring a GM and HC.  Yes Johnson deserves some blame for that but it’s not like hiring a coach first and than gm has never worked.  Same with the reporting structure issue.  The media makes a big deal of it but it really want.  The jets had two gms that were very poor talent and football  guys and we therefore have consistently had anemic rosters.  T/f we never really had a true chance to succeed.  I always thought the Johnson’s have given everyone a fair shot.  Not too long of a leash and not too short.  Finally looks like we have some good people.  But again, it wasn’t organization distinction; that’s a misperception. 
 

Brandon Marshall said as much the other day.  He said” I’m telling you , they are a good organization, you will get everything you need”.  Think of all the ex players that are fans and loyal too.  Adam’s was one of the few disgruntled and he is certifiably insane.  
 

I agree with saleh.  Good people that simply needed to be aligned and on the same page

This is a good point that I've never really considered. From Revis to Vinny, From Bart Scott to Damien Woody... so many players have played for more than just the Jets but CHOOSE to identify with the Jets.

I've never faulted the Johnsons for lack of trying. Their problem is they've had a terrible run of bad hires that were the product of listening to others (Korn & Ferry, Charlie Casserly and Peyton Manning come to mind), bad knee jerk reactions that attempted to overcorrect a previous error, or trying to mimic the success of other teams. This led to near perpetual inadequacies in the GM seat and mismatching GMs with HC's.

Tanny and Mangini worked because they were friends and Mangini helped in the draft room. While Rex and Tanny got along and loved a splashy trade or FA signing to bolster the team, neither understood the draft.  Tanny, Idzik and Mac were each worse than the previous as drafters. So basically from 2009, when Tanny was paired with Rex, the Jets began the long slow downward spiral caused by blowing draft after draft.

The johnsons took the Jets over in 2000. In the 11 seasons from 2000 through 2010 the Jets had 1 division title; 8  winning seasons; 6 playoff berths and 6 playoff victories. In the 10 seasons since the Jets have 1 winning season and zero playoff appearances. So, the Johnson's had one of, if not THE, best decade of Jets football. Sadly, they followed it with one of the worst decades. But, I think they've righted the ship. 

[rangerous]

i don't see why the johnsons get such a bad rap all the time.  they poured money into the facility and even though they share a stadium they poured money into that too.  and when they've hired coaches and gm's they've given them pretty long leashes.  with the exception of tebow and favre, i don't think the johnsons actively campaigned for any particular player and who really knows the story behind those guys.  they've just been unlucky at hiring stand up people to run the team.  i'd sure like to know why tanny was forced out.  

[Sperm Edwards]

14 hours ago, rangerous said:

i don't see why the johnsons get such a bad rap all the time.  they poured money into the facility and even though they share a stadium they poured money into that too.  and when they've hired coaches and gm's they've given them pretty long leashes.  with the exception of tebow and favre, i don't think the johnsons actively campaigned for any particular player and who really knows the story behind those guys.  they've just been unlucky at hiring stand up people to run the team.  i'd sure like to know why tanny was forced out.  

Plus I think hiring Korn Ferry & Casserly & Wolf is an admission from Johnson pre-Chris that he knows he needed someone else to choose for him. If there was evidence (or rumor) he went against their recommendations - and said recommendations were successful elsewhere - then that’d be different. 

The new structure as-is was surely ok’d by Woody. Chris doesn’t do that behind his brother’s back a week before he comes home.

Re: Tannenbaum, I think the truth is always the most likely. Tannenbaum was forced out because he bet on a bunch of bad players, passing on better ones in the process, and in the end that’s that. You don’t trade a mid-round pick for Tebow and he’s not even usable, give an embarrassment like Holmes a fully guaranteed $20MM, and top it off by guaranteeing Mark Sanchez 2 more years as unquestioned starter after collapsing to close the prior season; then to support that move, trade up in round 2 for Stephen Hill and his 29 college receptions, while your head scout is “pounding the table” for a QB who is an instant success, while the Sanchize collapsing further, with Hill doing nothing to help lol. Maybe throw in a little blame for Peyton Manning not choosing the Jets, justified or not in feeling MT was part of that reason, which then led to the fated extension before a QB-rich draft. 

He did build a roster capable of getting very close, and perhaps we’d have gone all the way had he made a better decision on picking a QB, but that’s as close as he’ll ever get. Sanchez’s extension really did him in; after looking back iirc he saw that as his big regret, which suggests that played a huge part in his dismissal. Anyone can miss on a QB in the draft, but when you double-down on a QB after he’s just failed, and he then fails even further when you had an easy way out instead, the writing is on the wall. 

[kelly]

3 hours ago, Jetsfan80 said:

Thank you, Joe Douglas, for finally bringing some professionalism to the organization.  

agreed !  ?

[Larz]

Aaaaaaaaaaand then woody came back 

[kelly]

3 hours ago, Alentador31 said:

Makes you wonder how bad our organizational reputation has truly been over the years. 

welcome coach ! ?..as you can see you are in the offices of the new york jets  ☠️

[New York Mick]

Did you think he was going to say they’re a bunch of unorganized morons that have no business owning an NFL team? 

[kelly]

2 minutes ago, New York Mick said:

Did you think he was going to say they’re a bunch of unorganized morons that have no business owning an NFL team? 

no. 

i already said that  ?

[#27TheDominator]

It's nice that he "picked the Jets" but until the Jags went with Urban Meyer he didn't sign.  Doesn't that kind of indicate we may have been second choice?  It may have just been based on income tax, but it sure seemed he was waiting on Jacksonville. 

[flgreen]

3 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said:

It's nice that he "picked the Jets" but until the Jags went with Urban Meyer he didn't sign.  Doesn't that kind of indicate we may have been second choice?  It may have just been based on income tax, but it sure seemed he was waiting on Jacksonville. 

So much so that when Saleh went to get into his car service ride to head off to Florida for his interview with the Eagles, he texted his wife, Sanaa: Honey, if they call, we’re going to New York. They later called and, in a twist befitting Saleh’s good feeling for the organization, he did more than take the job—he actively chose the Jets.

[Greensleeves]

3 hours ago, y2k8 said:

They may or may not be. But I don't think anyone ever criticized the Johnson's for being jerks.

They have been criticized for being incompetent.

The saying nice guys finish last is an expression for a reason.

You remember the trouble Woody got himself into in London? I wouldn't characterize him as a good guy. Also, his associations with high ranking officials bring up red flags. I wish he would stay away permanently. Chris, on the other hand seems like a really nice guy.

[RutgersJetFan]

The Zoom call was different? Must have done some Breakout Room activities. Maybe even a poll. 

[Wonderboy]

3 hours ago, HawkeyeJet said:

 

[Wonderboy]

4 minutes ago, RutgersJetFan said:

The Zoom call was different? Must have done some Breakout Room activities. Maybe even a poll. 

JD probably had some subconscious Eastern Mediterranean cuisine images sprinkled in throughout the zoom call that Saleh could not resist.  

[RutgersJetFan]

Just now, Wonderboy said:

JD probably had some subconscious Mediterranean cuisine images sprinkled in throughout the zoom call that Saleh could not resist.  

Probably had one of those professional looking green screens to make it look like he was conducting the meeting from Fiji or some sh*t. Douglas playing chess while everyone else plays checkers. 

[RutgersJetFan]

4 minutes ago, RutgersJetFan said:

The Zoom call was different? Must have done some Breakout Room activities. Maybe even a poll. 

I'd also like to point out that the above is a fantastic ******* joke, and if your job doesn't demand that you have to experience the excruciating pain of endless Zoom in order to get it, I am envious of you.

[Jet_Engine1]

56 minutes ago, New York Mick said:

Did you think he was going to say they’re a bunch of unorganized morons that have no business owning an NFL team? 

No. If he thought that, he wouldn't have taken the job. 

[#27TheDominator]

3 hours ago, RutgersJetFan said:

I'd also like to point out that the above is a fantastic ******* joke, and if your job doesn't demand that you have to experience the excruciating pain of endless Zoom in order to get it, I am envious of you.

You're lucky if you only have the one platform.  We bounce from skype, TEAMS, Zoom, webex and google meet based on level of security concerns and if we have too many people online for some of the usual suspects to work properly.  The constant platform shifts are a huge cluster****.

[UntouchableCrew]

Quote

“A lot of the interviews, you go through it, and you’re like, Huh, that’s exactly what people told me it was gonna be,” Saleh told me late Friday. “When I walked into the Jets [interview], the Zoom call, it was like, Oh, that wasn’t that bad. I was expecting something different. I was expecting something disorganized. Instead, what I got was a very organized interview, a very collaborative interview. It felt like it was done really, really well by them.

I'm almost surprised he'd even admit this in an interview even though it's clearly true.

Props to Joe Douglas.

[New York Mick]

52 minutes ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

No. If he thought that, he wouldn't have taken the job. 

Exactly