Another Good Piece from Cimini

[addage]

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:

 

1. CE-O coach: Coach Robert Saleh received a shoutout the other day from Aaron Rodgers, who remarked, "I think Robert, to his credit, is taking a deeper role in the offense."

No doubt, this fueled an outside narrative that Saleh, acting with urgency in a make-or-break season, is looking over the shoulder of Nathaniel Hackett because the perception is that he has lost faith in his embattled offensive coordinator. It certainly wouldn't be the first time a head coach got more involved on the weakest side of the ball in an attempt to save his own butt.

Rodgers described Saleh's involvement this way: "As a defensive coach, he's been in that room a lot, but he's been kind of sitting over to the left of me a good amount of the offseason so far. So we appreciate his influence. He's brought some really good ideas to the table."

Let's clear up a few things: Saleh isn't spending all his time with the offense -- he's still involved with the defense and special teams. Yes, he's having more direct dialogue in the classroom with offensive players than last offseason, but it's what you'd expect from a fourth-year coach who is evolving on the job.

There's another reason. Look at Saleh's background; he came from the San Francisco 49ers, where he became fluent in the Kyle Shanahan version of the West Coast offense -- a regimented system that limits a quarterback's flexibility at the line of scrimmage. The Jets used it in 2021 and 2022, but they flipped their approach with the arrival of Rodgers, who thrives on being in control.

Last year, Saleh let Rodgers and Hackett do their thing, installing the system and teaching it to everyone. Now that he has been around Rodgers for a year and is well-versed in his offense, Saleh feels comfortable making useful suggestions, mainly from a defensive-minded perspective. If Rodgers wants to run a certain play against, say, a Cover-3 defense, he can hear the pros and cons from Saleh. It's a healthy give-and-take.

"He's added a lot of interesting stuff that you'll see throughout the OTAs and training camp, which I think would be pretty cool for us," Rodgers said.

Unbeknownst to many, Saleh actually got more involved in the offense over the final six games last season. By then, they already had started to move away from the Rodgers system, which didn't suit Zach Wilson. In retrospect, the Jets will say they waited too long to make that change. As it turned out, they showed some signs of life over the final six games, averaging 16.5 points -- about three points better than the first 11.

Saleh said the goal this season is to make the offense "injury-proof," just in case the unthinkable happens again -- another Rodgers injury. They'd better get it right because they're probably out of mulligans.

2. Busy summer: The Jets are planning to have joint practices with the three teams they face in the preseason -- the Washington Commanders (home), Carolina Panthers (away) and New York Giants (home). Joint practices have become the norm in the NFL, especially with teams shying away from playing their starters in preseason games.

 

3. QB/scout: Rodgers, in an interview with the Official Jets Podcast, called Malachi Corley "my favorite receiver in the draft." That comment will raise eyebrows, considering Corley was the 12th wide receiver drafted, taken at the top of the third round.

"Now, he might not have been the best on paper in the draft," Rodgers went on to say, "but I really felt like he was going to fit in with what we're trying to do -- his mindset, his ferocity."

No doubt, the front office was aware of Rodgers' affinity for Corley, which might explain why it traded up to get him.

4. Rarity for Rodgers: The Jets open the season with three games in a 10-day span, something Rodgers has experienced only once in 16 seasons as a starting quarterback. It happened way back in 2011 with the Green Bay Packers. Clearly, the physical grind didn't affect him as a 27-year-old, as he passed for nine touchdowns and only one interception in three victories.

But now he's 40, coming off a major injury and a long layoff. He acknowledged it will be harder for his body to bounce back now that he's a lot older, concluding that the three-game stretch "definitely will be a good challenge for us."Week 3 is a Thursday night game against the New England Patriots. In case you're wondering, Rodgers has dominated in Thursday night games on short weeks -- an 8-4 record, with 29 touchdowns, three interceptions.

5. Rest can wait: Teams have the option of taking their bye week immediately after games in London, but the Jets opted to pass on the bye. Why? Mostly, they preferred a late bye (Week 12). They also felt they'd have enough rest after returning from London, where they face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5. Their next game is a Monday night home contest against the Buffalo Bills.

6. Canton corner: Rodgers and left tackle Tyron Smith have lockers next to each other. Talk about an upscale neighborhood. You're talking about 32 seasons of combined experience and 18 Pro Bowls. Someday, they figure to be reunited in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Rodgers said he has a front-row seat to witnessing how Smith and fellow tackle Morgan Moses have been coaching up young tackles Olu Fashanu and Carter Warren.

"Pretty cool," Rodgers said.

7. Safety in numbers: The most competitive position group is safety, with incumbent Tony Adams, Chuck Clark and Ashtyn Davis battling for two starting spots. Right now, Adams and Clark have the edge. Clark, a longtime starter with the Baltimore Ravens, is back to full participation after missing last season because of knee surgery.

Add another player to the mix: Isaiah Oliver, a veteran cornerback/nickelback, was moved to safety this week.

"The entire safety room is open," Saleh said.

8. Shrinking end: The Jets are giving up a lot of size at defensive end, going from John Franklin-Myers (288 pounds) to Haason Reddick (240). That could be a problem for the run defense. Reddick is "a little undersized," said defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who believes he compensates with leverage and hand placement. Worth noting: The Philadelphia Eagles were better against the run when Reddick wasn't on the field (3.8 yards per rush) than when he was on it (4.5).

9. Say, Watts: Maybe the most intriguing undrafted rookie on the roster is defensive end Eric Watts out of UConn. He certainly looks the part -- a sculpted 277 pounds on his 6-foot-5 frame. He ran well at the scouting combine (4.67 seconds in the 40-yard dash), fueling speculation that he could be a late-round pick despite modest production in college (9.5 sacks in four seasons).

Watts was in demand as a free agent, eventually receiving a $225,000 guarantee from the Jets -- highest among their UDFAs. That amount is equivalent to what a high sixth-round pick would receive. Watts is known for his competitive nature. If he can put it all together, maybe he can surprise.

10. The last word: "I feel like we can win the championship -- Super Bowl. We got the guys, we got the coaches. We got everything we need -- the training staff, everything -- that it will take for us to be able to get where we want to get to." - cornerback Sauce Gardner on the team's expectations.

[Joe W. Namath]

13-4, division winner, douglas and saleh get extended.

Enjoy jet fans!!!!  The best season since 1998 is coming up!!!

[addage]

Positive, but not over-the-top.

Especially like the part about Saleh.  He's certainly made his share of mistakes while "learning on the job".  But I've always thought he has the making of an outstanding NFL head coach.  

Hope he proves me right this year!

[Joe W. Namath]

5 minutes ago, addage said:

Positive, but not over-the-top.

Especially like the part about Saleh.  He's certainly made his share of mistakes while "learning on the job".  But I've always thought he has the making of an outstanding NFL head coach.  

Hope he proves me right this year!

Best, young hc in the league.  Hed have multiple playoff appearance as a jet hc if we had an even semi functional qb.

Just like every jet fan demanding ulbrich be fired a year ago and now crickets, same will happen with saleh after we win the division this year.

[bicketybam]

Just so we are clear, if Corely flames out we can all blame Rodgers. Got it!

[genot]

46 minutes ago, Joe W. Namath said:

13-4, division winner, douglas and saleh get extended.

Enjoy jet fans!!!!  The best season since 1998 is coming up!!!

[The Crusher]

56 minutes ago, Joe W. Namath said:

13-4, division winner, douglas and saleh get extended.

Enjoy jet fans!!!!  The best season since 1998 is coming up!!!

Is it ok to like Cimini yet?

[Joe W. Namath]

1 minute ago, The Crusher said:

Is it ok to like Cimini yet?

Sure.  Whats wrong w/ cimini?

[Beerfish]

Rex Ryan all over again.

A defensive head coach who finally in year 4 or 5 decides he needs to pay attention to the offense, mainly because he has an oc who is beyond awful and he finally realizes you have to play offense to win in this league.

Can't wait for the red, yellow, green head coach play sheet to back into being.

[Bronx]

1 hour ago, addage said:

Saleh actually got more involved in the offense over the final six games last season.

Putrid coaching. 

[doitny]

great article. my 2 cents.

1. great to hear Saleh getting more involved in the offense. hopefully this will make him grown as a HC. this is his 4th year which many HCs dont see if they dont win. sometimes just like with players they need more time.

2. who cares about joint practices...

3. nobody knows better at what WR they want more than the QB. it will be interesting to see how this turns out.

4. yeah this is a problem playing 3 times in 10 days for a 40 yr old QB. but at least he played well when he did do it at 27 yrs old. thats better than sucking at it at 27 yrs old.

5. i hate London....Munich...Mexico and anywhere else they force them to play outside of the US. this kind of travel takes it toll on these players especially flying to Europe.

6. pretty cool. now lets hope they stay on the field all year. i love the part about Smith and Mosses teaching the young guys. this is why you sign older vets who are pass their prime sometimes. what they could teach the kids this year is worth there weight in gold. even if they miss alot of time. 

7. i like this Safety room. i think it will be better than we think.

8. just to point out before people cry about this we were just as bad vs the run when Huff was in there.

9. i said it before when some of you were worried about DL or Safety. on defense Saleh will find some UDFA and he will play just fine. lets hope im right about this....

10. 👍

[doitny]

15 minutes ago, The Crusher said:

Is it ok to like Cimini yet?

i never got the hate for Cimini. 

why because he doesn't pick us to win the SB every year? 

[Joe W. Namath]

1 minute ago, doitny said:

i never got the hate for Cimini. 

why because he doesn't pick us to win the SB every year? 

So wait, the most negative fanbase in sports doesnt like a negative beat writer?  Hahahahaha.

Now thats funny.

[Adoni Beast]

1 hour ago, addage said:

Positive, but not over-the-top.

Especially like the part about Saleh.  He's certainly made his share of mistakes while "learning on the job".  But I've always thought he has the making of an outstanding NFL head coach.  

Hope he proves me right this year!

[dbatesman]

2 hours ago, addage said:

3. QB/scout: Rodgers, in an interview with the Official Jets Podcast, called Malachi Corley "my favorite receiver in the draft." That comment will raise eyebrows, considering Corley was the 12th wide receiver drafted, taken at the top of the third round.

"Now, he might not have been the best on paper in the draft," Rodgers went on to say, "but I really felt like he was going to fit in with what we're trying to do -- his mindset, his ferocity."

No doubt, the front office was aware of Rodgers' affinity for Corley, which might explain why it traded up to get him.

[JustInFudge]

 

[hawk]

2 hours ago, addage said:

8. Shrinking end: The Jets are giving up a lot of size at defensive end, going from John Franklin-Myers (288 pounds) to Haason Reddick (240). That could be a problem for the run defense. Reddick is "a little undersized," said defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who believes he compensates with leverage and hand placement. Worth noting: The Philadelphia Eagles were better against the run when Reddick wasn't on the field (3.8 yards per rush) than when he was on it (4.5).

I can definitely see Reddick playing more of the Huff role.  2nd and long and 3rd down guy, but not a liability in the run game if he gets stuck in a no huddle offense.

[SomebodytoAnybody47]

1 hour ago, Beerfish said:

Rex Ryan all over again.

A defensive head coach who finally in year 4 or 5 decides he needs to pay attention to the offense, mainly because he has an oc who is beyond awful and he finally realizes you have to play offense to win in this league.

Can't wait for the red, yellow, green head coach play sheet to back into being.

“Needs to be involved with the offense” is just code for the QB sucks, please do something, we’re running out of excuses. 

[bicketybam]

1 hour ago, Beerfish said:

Rex Ryan all over again.

A defensive head coach who finally in year 4 or 5 decides he needs to pay attention to the offense, mainly because he has an oc who is beyond awful and he finally realizes you have to play offense to win in this league.

Can't wait for the red, yellow, green head coach play sheet to back into being.

So what's your backup plan for the fall? Some sh*tty Canadian Football?

[playtowinthegame]

4 hours ago, Joe W. Namath said:

13-4, division winner, douglas and saleh get extended.

Enjoy jet fans!!!!  The best season since 1998 is coming up!!!

I love the cut of your jib, Captain. 

[rangerous]

A little bit of a crock about saleh having give and take about how to call a play against cover three.  Rodgers has seen quite a few cover three formations over his career.  I doubt saleh has a clue as to where to go with the ball.  Much as saleh needed to get involved with the offense it was more about making sure milfy was holding the offense and coaches accountable .  And saleh should know what kinds of offenses give his defense alignment fits.  He hasn’t shown it in three seasons.  It’s doubtful he’ll do it now.

[Joe W. Namath]

15 minutes ago, rangerous said:

A little bit of a crock about saleh having give and take about how to call a play against cover three.  Rodgers has seen quite a few cover three formations over his career.  I doubt saleh has a clue as to where to go with the ball.  Much as saleh needed to get involved with the offense it was more about making sure milfy was holding the offense and coaches accountable .  And saleh should know what kinds of offenses give his defense alignment fits.  He hasn’t shown it in three seasons.  It’s doubtful he’ll do it now.

Saleh was a tight end in college.  He understands offense just fine.

[Jet Nut]

19 hours ago, Beerfish said:

Can't wait for the red, yellow, green head coach play sheet to back into being.

Because Rodgers is in over his head like Sanchez.

We're comparing Rodgers, his knowledge of the game, his HOF career to Mark Sanchez?

  

[Joe W. Namath]

4 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

Because Rodgers is on over his like Sanchez.  That’s the take you got out of this write up. 

When u r a miserable jet fan, that is what you get out of it.

The disease……

[addage]

10 hours ago, doitny said:

great article. my 2 cents.

 

2. who cares about joint practices...

 

10. 👍

Good response.  I agree that we fans could care less about joint practices, but not the coaches and GM.

Within the pool of players in any given years, there are going to be subtle currents in which players shade their play to make others look better and have an increased chance to make the final 53.  The obvious one--vets vs rookies.  Help your teammate stave off one of the younger players.

All that goes away when you play another franchise.  They are looking out for themselves, not their wanna be teammates.

So the coaches get a much more objective view of their players.  Has to help their evaluations.

[JKlecko]

1 hour ago, addage said:

Good response.  I agree that we fans could care less about joint practices, but not the coaches and GM.

Within the pool of players in any given years, there are going to be subtle currents in which players shade their play to make others look better and have an increased chance to make the final 53.  The obvious one--vets vs rookies.  Help your teammate stave off one of the younger players.

All that goes away when you play another franchise.  They are looking out for themselves, not their wanna be teammates.

So the coaches get a much more objective view of their players.  Has to help their evaluations.

I disagree with this.  That doesn't make any sense to me.  Why would a player change his play to help another player, unless that player was a good friend or something?  Similarly, why would a player shade his play to help a veteran who may not be as good or as talented as the rookie?  There may be some of that going on, but I doubt that there's much of that going on.  If I'm wrong and players do this a lot, then they're stupid, because they may be hurting their team if they're trying to help an older, lesser player who's a veteran over a rookie who's better and could quite possibly help the team more that season, and going forward.

[T0mShane]

One of the cardinal mistakes that Hot Young Coordinators make when they become head coaches is that they decide that they’re gonna run things the cool way and give their opposite side of the ball coordinator autonomy to run their own show. “When I’m in charge, everyone gets a say, man.” I do find it amusing that the switch is being made now as a result of Woody (and presumably Douglas) deciding that’s what Saleh was going to have to start doing after three years of bottom-two offense. And considering the problems LaFleur was having from a personality standpoint keeping guys like Becton, Zach, Elijah Moore, etc productive and in line, how does Saleh see all that and still stay hands-off, leaving LaFleur to handle all that bullsh*t without some oversight? Granted, Saleh has shown no capacity to keep aberrant players in line and, notably, Becton punked him at every turn. What a mess. 
 

I do appreciate Rodgers’ comments  that make Saleh sound like some clever analytics intern that they allow to sit in on offensive meetings, though. The “he sits off the left and says some interesting things” stuff is awesome. 

[JustInFudge]

2 hours ago, T0mShane said:

One of the cardinal mistakes that Hot Young Coordinators make when they become head coaches is that they decide that they’re gonna run things the cool way and give their opposite side of the ball coordinator autonomy to run their own show. “When I’m in charge, everyone gets a say, man.” I do find it amusing that the switch is being made now as a result of Woody (and presumably Douglas) deciding that’s what Saleh was going to have to start doing after three years of bottom-two offense. And considering the problems LaFleur was having from a personality standpoint keeping guys like Becton, Zach, Elijah Moore, etc productive and in line, how does Saleh see all that and still stay hands-off, leaving LaFleur to handle all that bullsh*t without some oversight? Granted, Saleh has shown no capacity to keep aberrant players in line and, notably, Becton punked him at every turn. What a mess. 
 

I do appreciate Rodgers’ comments  that make Saleh sound like some clever analytics intern that they allow to sit in on offensive meetings, though. The “he sits off the left and says some interesting things” stuff is awesome. 

“You know Aaron, placement is really critical on those back shoulders throws”.

[SoFlaJets]

This is the least enthusiastic that I have been about an upcoming Jets season since the mid-70s'. Last season I knew every player and had done research on all of our draft picks, this season with all the "Aaron Rodgers is going to get us to the Super Bowl" bullcrap isn't grabbing me at all. I'm going to have to see if he can last through the month of September first before I let myself get drawn in.

[SickJetFan]

1 hour ago, JustInFudge said:

“You know Aaron, placement is really critical on those back shoulders throws”.

No No No Went more like this

Saleh: Hey guys did you know that even a fly cant hear its own fart?  Well fellas we need to be like a fly fart thats how we win when nobody hears us coming

rest of the room

 

[T0mShane]

11 minutes ago, SickJetFan said:

No No No Went more like this

Saleh: Hey guys did you know that even a fly cant hear its own fart?  Well fellas we need to be like a fly fart thats how we win when nobody hears us coming

rest of the room

 

Are you a, uh, commander? A, uh, commander is a person who, uh, leads by example and uh remains focused on, uh,

[derp]

5 hours ago, T0mShane said:

One of the cardinal mistakes that Hot Young Coordinators make when they become head coaches is that they decide that they’re gonna run things the cool way and give their opposite side of the ball coordinator autonomy to run their own show. “When I’m in charge, everyone gets a say, man.” I do find it amusing that the switch is being made now as a result of Woody (and presumably Douglas) deciding that’s what Saleh was going to have to start doing after three years of bottom-two offense. And considering the problems LaFleur was having from a personality standpoint keeping guys like Becton, Zach, Elijah Moore, etc productive and in line, how does Saleh see all that and still stay hands-off, leaving LaFleur to handle all that bullsh*t without some oversight? Granted, Saleh has shown no capacity to keep aberrant players in line and, notably, Becton punked him at every turn. What a mess. 
 

I do appreciate Rodgers’ comments  that make Saleh sound like some clever analytics intern that they allow to sit in on offensive meetings, though. The “he sits off the left and says some interesting things” stuff is awesome. 

Could you imagine what it would’ve been like to get your first head coaching job, not want the team to draft Zach Wilson, then get saddled with him and no alternative better than Mike White? I might have thrown myself into focusing on the side of the ball I coached before too.

[HighPitch]

14 hours ago, Joe W. Namath said:

When u r a miserable jet fan, that is what you get out of it.

The disease……

Joe w what is the cure for the disease? You had it bad from oct-jan. I though u would die.

what did u take 

[T0mShane]

1 hour ago, derp said:

Could you imagine what it would’ve been like to get your first head coaching job, not want the team to draft Zach Wilson, then get saddled with him and no alternative better than Mike White? I might have thrown myself into focusing on the side of the ball I coached before too.

I’ve always wondered how or why Saleh would sign on to that plan in his first job. Surely, it was a point of discussion during the interview process, and Douglas supposedly had his heart set on drafting Zach long before Saleh was even hired, but wouldn’t you, as a new head coach, at the very least want a viable veteran QB? Especially if, as has been speculated, Saleh wasn’t too hyped about Zach to begin with? 

[SickJetFan]

17 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

I’ve always wondered how or why Saleh would sign on to that plan in his first job. Surely, it was a point of discussion during the interview process, and Douglas supposedly had his heart set on drafting Zach long before Saleh was even hired, but wouldn’t you, as a new head coach, at the very least want a viable veteran QB? Especially if, as has been speculated, Saleh wasn’t too hyped about Zach to begin with? 

I dont buy Saleh nor MILF were against ZW ...looking back at those 1JD videos they all seemed giddy.  Plus Saleh has an arrogance in him where he believe he can motivate anyone to be the next super star - he believes football 95% coaching and 5% players when he came in and soon realized it the other way around.

 

Tell you what tho I will deny that I threw them all under bus if they win superbowl with AR.