The Athletic: League execs, coaches, “It doesn’t seem well-thought-out”

[slimjasi]

As others have noted, the decision to fire Saleh being rash and probably not well thought out (it's Woody, after all) does not exclude it from being the correct decision. 

This season is probably f*cked anyway, but the team very likely wasn't going anywhere with Saleh.

[slats]

16 minutes ago, Integrity28 said:

Low percentage last ditch efforts to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat is a lot different than a well-coached team winning games they should.

In the first month of the season I expect some sloppy football. Five games into a season where the team is playing for a share of first in the division on Monday seems incredibly premature to me. And ftr, the defense seems pretty well coached. 

[GreenFish]

The fans and execs didn’t believe in him any more. He had a short leash and it played out that way.

No point on keeping someone you know can’t get it done.

[Integrity28]

6 minutes ago, slats said:

In the first month of the season I expect some sloppy football. Five games into a season where the team is playing for a share of first in the division on Monday seems incredibly premature to me. And ftr, the defense seems pretty well coached. 

Good thing the guy that coaches the defense is still here. And before you say, “but now he coaches the whole team” please remember that’s exactly the role Saleh was in, and it seemed to work out.

For the record, the sloppiness, low energy, zero accountability all goes back beyond just the first 5 games. I get the sense that Saleh was on the hot seat last year and AR injury bought him time.

I think we know exactly the results we’d get with Saleh. I’d rather gamble on finding our Dan Campbell and turning it all around over the conservative, tuck tail and waste another year approach.

Feels like you’re working too hard to have a problem with all of this. 

[faba]

I find it ironic after all the complaints myself included about Saleh that now some wanted him to stay

[rex-n-effect]

Dumping Saleh doesn't fix the many other problems with the team this season and Ulbrich hasn't exactly done great work with the defense so far, either. It isn't as bad as the offense but the defense is notably worse this year versus last. Even most of the players who span two or more seasons are worse off this year. It's not just a matter of losing some of the players on the line. 

It makes sense to unload Saleh now if it is Saleh's gameplan holding the team back. Unloading Saleh lets the other coaches take games in a different direction. That pretty clearly was not going to happen with Coach Conservative at the helm. We've seen from the start that the game plan is always so vanilla and designed to wind the clock down versus putting points on the board. Seems like Rodgers explained that to Woody and it finally made sense after watching Saleh do it for four years after seeing Bowles do the exact same thing not all that long ago.

[bitonti]

1 hour ago, Barton said:

He was a terrible effing head coach. Enough already. He had to go. Sooner the better. 

[CrazyCarl40]

Not well thought out? Sounds like Woody, one of the worst owners in sports. 

[slats]

6 minutes ago, Integrity28 said:

Feels like you’re working too hard to have a problem with all of this. 

I didn’t love Saleh. If I were to grade his performance as a head coach, it would be “incomplete,” because I don’t think he ever really had a chance to succeed here - but also, he didn’t. I’m not losing any sleep over his firing, but I definitely believe it was premature, and that in my mind there are more potential downsides than ups with such a move. Sure, this could prove to be the spark that turned it all around, but it could also be the beginning of the end for whoever’s been left behind. I do think the staff -already weak, especially on offense- just got weaker. 

[Waka Flocka Flacco]

I mean, of course it wasn't well thought-out. This is what happens when you replace the coach, then the GM five months later, then the quarterback two years after that. They are five years entrenched on nobody being on the same page and everybody having somebody else to point the finger at. There are only two things you can do in this situation. You can either burn it all down or you can waste a bunch of time before burning it all down.

Woody doesn't golf.

[Plen T]

It’s very well thought out

Bob Saleh is a career loser 

same mistakes for 4 years

0 improvement on the team in 5 weeks. In fact THEY ARE GETTING WORSE

whats the point of keeping him??

[Prodigal Syndicate]

8 minutes ago, Plen T said:

It’s very well thought out

Bob Saleh is a career loser 

same mistakes for 4 years

0 improvement on the team in 5 weeks. In fact THEY ARE GETTING WORSE

whats the point of keeping him??

It was a last ditch effort to save the season. Chances were high he was gone end of season anyway but might as well do it now to see if it sparks the team I guess.

Woody bought into the hype and expected to be a SB contender I'm guessing.

[Integrity28]

56 minutes ago, slats said:

I didn’t love Saleh. If I were to grade his performance as a head coach, it would be “incomplete,” because I don’t think he ever really had a chance to succeed here - but also, he didn’t. I’m not losing any sleep over his firing, but I definitely believe it was premature, and that in my mind there are more potential downsides than ups with such a move. Sure, this could prove to be the spark that turned it all around, but it could also be the beginning of the end for whoever’s been left behind. I do think the staff -already weak, especially on offense- just got weaker. 

Seems like you’re upset, tbh.

Whoever is left behind has an opportunity to salvage their situation. The alternative is they all lose their jobs at the same time at the end of the season.

The upside is creating opportunity. There is no real downside if you consider  that more of the sane was going to result in losses and a regime change. This might actually preserve some jobs and regime continuity. They can’t all suck. Be good to keep the ones who who make a difference.

[Larz]

Slow starts, unprepared, sloppy, underperforming 

HC takes the fall

thats pro sports 

[slats]

35 minutes ago, Integrity28 said:

Seems like you’re upset, tbh.

I’d’ve preferred if they fired him last January. The only problem I have with canning Saleh is the timing. Now, they were basically stuck either naming Middleton the interim coach, or yet another DC with no head coaching experience. Woody, of course, went with the DC. 

35 minutes ago, Integrity28 said:

Whoever is left behind has an opportunity to salvage their situation. The alternative is they all lose their jobs at the same time at the end of the season.

The upside is creating opportunity. There is no real downside if you consider  that more of the sane was going to result in losses and a regime change. This might actually preserve some jobs and regime continuity. They can’t all suck. Be good to keep the ones who who make a difference.

Pretty sure no one is under contract beyond this season, meaning that everyone will lose their jobs at the same time anyway. 

[dr84]

The same things were said when we fired Maccagnan.  Not saying JD is the savior but no doubt Mac needed to go.  This reeks of the LOLJets narrative.  All these talking heads that claim the defense was good so Saleh was doing his job are the same people that would be saying "He's not a defensive coordinator anymore, he's the head coach"  At the end of the day, the team was underperforming and not just because of win-loss record, if you watch the product on the field they looked unprepared and have committed way too many penalties and this is a direct reflection on the head coach.  So maybe the argument could be made that we should've just cut bait after this season if he was on such shaky ground, but they didn't and I'm glad they did it now rather than let the season slip away.

[NYJCAP2]

43 minutes ago, Integrity28 said:

Seems like you’re upset, tbh.

Whoever is left behind has an opportunity to salvage their situation. The alternative is they all lose their jobs at the same time at the end of the season.

The upside is creating opportunity. There is no real downside if you consider  that more of the sane was going to result in losses and a regime change. This might actually preserve some jobs and regime continuity. They can’t all suck. Be good to keep the ones who who make a difference.

The 🚨 sirens 🚨 in my head are going off because Woody is accrediting this entire decision to himself.

On the other hand, if that’s not the case, the alternate theory is that a player had his coach fired to save the worst coach on the staff.

In any case, I don’t see how you see upside and no real downside with where the team currently sits.

[JoJoTownsell1]

3 hours ago, Barton said:

He was a terrible effing head coach. Enough already. He had to go. Sooner the better. 

Coaches always hate it when fellow coaches get fired.  It's a club that they are all part of. You rarely see "coaches thrilled to see fellow coach fired"

[DoubleDown]

Outside of the Patriots game, this team has been a complete mess this season.  Undisciplined, unprepared, unimaginative, out of sync.  Bottom line, almost every aspect that coaching is traditionally responsible for was lacking.

They are lucky to be 2-3 and still playing meaningful games.  They need a spark.  Saleh was a lost cause.  Clearly a bottom 10 coach.  When was the last time you came away from a game saying "yes, the Jets definitely outcoached the other team."  From day 1 he's been little more than a slogan filled empty suit.

[redlichtie]

So the same bunch of people who, back in pre-season “expected the Jets to underperform” under the leadership of Saleh, are now complaining about the Jets being premature in making the change from Saleh when they have indeed underperformed 

this articles just confirms what I’ve long suspected, that the usual rentagobshytes that the likes of the Athletic go to for their ‘insider’ insights are just as, if not more clueless than the ordinary man or woman in the street

[redlichtie]

18 minutes ago, dr84 said:

The same things were said when we fired Maccagnan.  Not saying JD is the savior but no doubt Mac needed to go.  This reeks of the LOLJets narrative.  All these talking heads that claim the defense was good so Saleh was doing his job are the same people that would be saying "He's not a defensive coordinator anymore, he's the head coach"  At the end of the day, the team was underperforming and not just because of win-loss record, if you watch the product on the field they looked unprepared and have committed way too many penalties and this is a direct reflection on the head coach.  So maybe the argument could be made that we should've just cut bait after this season if he was on such shaky ground, but they didn't and I'm glad they did it now rather than let the season slip away.

The fact he’d never had a proper QB to work with was a legitimate argument in his favour and Rodgers injury meant that you could make the case he deserved to continue under that caveat, Rodgers injury provided a legitimate mask to the faults we keep seeing week in and week out and while we’re only a couple of plays away from 4-1, the penalties, unpreparedness, non-sensical slogans and quotes and the general sense he was more cheerleader than actual coach mean that while it’s a bold decision so early in the season it’s not without merit.

[CanadienJetsFan]

2 hours ago, slats said:

Ulbrich can no longer focus on just the defense,

Good point, but that remains to be seen. If he truly is HC material, he’ll figure it out.

[Integrity28]

1 hour ago, slats said:

I’d’ve preferred if they fired him last January. The only problem I have with canning Saleh is the timing. Now, they were basically stuck either naming Middleton the interim coach, or yet another DC with no head coaching experience. Woody, of course, went with the DC. 

Pretty sure no one is under contract beyond this season, meaning that everyone will lose their jobs at the same time anyway. 

Okay. I genuinely don't know why you’re arguing with people over it, then.

[Integrity28]

59 minutes ago, NYJCAP2 said:

The 🚨 sirens 🚨 in my head are going off because Woody is accrediting this entire decision to himself.

On the other hand, if that’s not the case, the alternate theory is that a player had his coach fired to save the worst coach on the staff.

In any case, I don’t see how you see upside and no real downside with where the team currently sits.

Things stay the same = nothing to expect, the team was/is terrible.

Rock the boat = maybe we discover Ulbrich is the next Harbaugh and everything changes. 

Even if all of that is true, I don’t care. I genuinely don’t see any value in retaining a coach who has perpetually sucked. Upside is the gamble the Ulbrich takes us further. Sure, it could be a disaster - but guess what? That’s already what we’re in the middle of.

[Jet_Engine1]

The entirety of "The Atlantic" is a bunch of nerdy pussies with weak takes on EVERY subject.  

Oh, they had something to say about Saleh? lol

 

 

As for what adversarial teams and organizations have to say about the firing... who gives a sh*t. Dude was a zombified, neutered version of what he was in SF. He had to go. 

[Jet_Engine1]

5 minutes ago, Integrity28 said:

Things stay the same = nothing to expect, the team was/is terrible.

Rock the boat = maybe we discover Ulbrich is the next Harbaugh and everything changes. 

Even if all of that is true, I don’t care. I genuinely don’t see any value in retaining a coach who has perpetually sucked. Upside is the gamble the Ulbrich takes us further. Sure, it could be a disaster - but guess what? That’s already what we’re in the middle of.

100% This. 

[JKlecko]

3 hours ago, slats said:

As always, we’ll see how it plays out. I don’t see any benefit to making this move now, but I do see downsides. 

No benefit?  Time will tell, but something had to be done.  Saleh wasn't making any changes and the team continually was not prepared, a slow starter, beat itself with too many penalties and unforced errors, and the offense is a complete mess.  Until this past Sunday 3 of the core players (Sauce, Wilson and Breece) have looked like crap this season.  There's no discipline and Saleh has no answers.  I'm certain that he pushed for Kinlaw to be signed and Kinlaw has been meh.  The defense has underperformed and with the exception of the NE game has not looked good.  T. Smith has already given up more sacks than he ever has during his career.  He's routinely missing blocks.  I doubt that it's rust or that his talen has suddenly disappeared. It has to be the coaching and/or communication between the offensive coaches.  Saleh was doing nothing to fix.  Maybe Ulbrich has some insights or approaches that Saleh didn't think or or didn't want to do.

As to your point in the initial post about the Jets possibly being 4-1 if Zuerlein hits the kick vs Denver.  It shouldn't have come down to that. Denver isn't a good team. The Jets at home should have won that game  by at least 2 TDs.  They also should have beaten the Vikings with Sam not being very effective and the Vikings struggling to run the ball.  Rodgers' 3 interceptions were the difference in that game.

Ulbrich has a ton of experience and he hold his defensive players accountable, and I think he will do the same for the offense.  The one area where he has little experience is in calling the defensive plays.  I had assumed that he was calling the defensive plays, but I read elsewhere today that he hasn't called the defensive plays as a DC since he coached at UCLA.  If so, that could be a downside if he struggles  with play calling.  With his experience, he should be fine however.

Hopefully, this is just the first of several changes/shakeups. I think that Rodgers and Hackett are trying to force the rest of the offense to catch up with Rodgers, and I think that's a huge mistake.  I think that's what's causing the blown assignments and the offensive struggles.  There are just too many variations and changes that can happen, and it takes too long to learn all of those.  It's better to keep things simple and just focus on out executing the D.  If I'm correc, hopefully tells Rodgers and Hackett to simplify things or he will.  If the offense and the OL in particular continue to struggle, both Carter and Hackett should be fired.  If Tony Dews is part of Breece's struggles, then he should go too.

[JKlecko]

7 minutes ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

The entirety of "The Atlantic" is a bunch of nerdy pussies with weak takes on EVERY subject.  

Oh, they had something to say about Saleh? lol

 

 

As for what adversarial teams and organizations have to say about the firing... who gives a sh*t. Dude was a zombified, neutered version of what he was in SF. He had to go. 

They probably wanted him to stay so they could keep taking advantage of him and the Jets.

[Corn]

In 25 years Woody has never done anything like this.

Not sure if we hear about it but the commissioner will be addressing any coaches

wearing anything such as promotions, political statements or foreign flags will be a huge fine in the future.

That's all folks

[Rich Thornburgh]

Woody is never thought out he is an impulsive unconcientious mess who isn’t a  bright person to begin with

[Rich Thornburgh]

5 hours ago, JoeNamathsFurCoat said:

League execs and coaches from other teams want to see the Jets embarrassed and humiliated so this isn’t exactly unbiased opinions being solicited.

Coaching is also some kind of fraternity so obviously they are gonna defend one of their own (anonymously). 

That doesn’t mean they are wrong