New York Jets owner Woody Johnson believes he has never had a team this good in his 25 years with the organization. That is why he pulled the plug on Robert Saleh after just five games and a 2-3 start.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was elevated to interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
“This is one of the most talented teams that has ever been assembled by the New York Jets,” Johnson said during a conference call. “I wanted to give this team the most opportunity to win this season. I feel that we had to go in a different direction, and that’s why I did that today.
“This change, the change that we made today, that I made, I believe will bring new energy and positivity and will lead to more wins starting now. I want to say, which I’ve said earlier to some of the members of the leadership team, that represents the players, how proud I am of this team, this specific team this year, and excited about what could happen and what will happen, particularly given these changes that we’ve made today.”
In three-plus seasons at the helm of the Jets, Saleh went 20-36, helping build an elite defense that was always derailed by an inept offense.
Even with future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers under center and leading the offense, the Jets still have not shown enough consistency to be a threatening unit. Rodgers was picked off three times in a 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in London.
Changes do not appear to have ended with Saleh’s exit, as the offense should prepare to look a bit different in the coming weeks. While Rodgers is believed to have a ton of pull within the organization, Johnson was adamant that he did not talk to the veteran quarterback about making the move.
“Those changes that we have to make on offense, we’ll make,” Johnson said. “We’re going to make them on offense, and we’re going to make them on defense. We’re going to try to get better, and so this is a new opportunity for all of us, so that’s why I decided to do that today.”
Granted, replacing a defensive-minded coach like Saleh with a defensive coordinator in Ulbrich naturally raises the question of how it will improve the Jets’ offense, which ranks 25th in points scored and 27th in total yards this season.
“I’ve seen him coach and I know the relationship he has with the players, and they respect him, they trust him,” Johnson said. ” I’ve seen it at halftime, and I’ve seen it in practice. When he talks, they listen to him in a way that probably represents the fact that he did play the sport at linebacker for 10 years, which is pretty unique, so he brings that knowledge and the respect, and the knowledge to the game in a way that I think that will be very good for the players going forward.”
