Jets fire head coach Saleh

Robert Saleh is no longer head coach of the New York Jets.
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This was initially reported by several NFL insiders, followed by official confirmation from the Jets early on Tuesday evening (CEST). Saleh became head coach of the Jets in January 2021, since then he has achieved a record of 20 wins and 36 defeats – the Jets did not reach the play-offs under his direction.

This year the pre-season should finally work again. The hopes rest on the shoulders of Aaron Rodgers, the star quarterback returned after recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. After a 19:32 defeat at the start at the San Francisco 49ers, two wins followed at the Tennessee Titans (24:17) and against the New England Patriots (24:3).

However, the two successes can be described as must-wins, because neither the Titans nor the Patriots are expected to do much this season. And after the interim high, two more defeats followed: First a 9:10 against the Denver Broncos and only on Sunday in London a 17:23 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Saleh and Rodgers denied any rift

There are also said to have been disagreements between Saleh and Rodgers – but both denied that there had been a rift between them. Nevertheless, Saleh did not manage to turn Rodgers into the leader that the “Gang Green” fans had hoped for – and that Rodgers himself embodied for years with the Green Bay Packers. Now a new head coach will lead Rodgers to lead a new strength. Who this will be is not yet known. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will oversee the Jets on an interim basis until the end of the regular season.

“It was not an easy decision,” team owner Woody Johnson was quoted as saying in a statement on the Jets website, “but we are not where we should be based on our expectations and I believe now is the best time for us to to take a different direction. This was the first time in his 25-year era with the Jets that Johnson had a head coach during a regular season.

Saleh has been active as a coach in the NFL since 2005, primarily as a defensive coach. He experienced his best time with the San Francisco 49ers between 2017 and 2021. He made the Californians’ defense one of the best in the league, putting up top values ​​in a number of categories. In the 2019 season he reached the Super Bowl with the 49ers, but lost 20:31 to the Kansas City Chiefs. His job with the Jets was his first as a head coach.

Johnson about Ulbrich: “He enjoys the respect of the coaches and players”

Ulbrichs also thinks football primarily defensively. Despite the Jets’ negative 2:3 record, New York’s defense ranks first in the NFL in the yards per play category with an average of 4.26 yards, and the Jets are in first place in yards per game (255.8). Second place.

“He has the respect of the coaches and players,” Johnson said of Ulbrich. “I believe that, together with the coaches on this staff, he can bring out the best in our talented team and achieve the goals we have set for ourselves this season.”