The Jets have lost three of their last four games, getting blown out in all three losses, and the defense appears to be getting worse by the week.
Meanwhile, the feel-good Mike White story soured in a hurry, with the New York sensation going from unexpected hero and the talk of the town to throwing four interceptions in Sunday’s 45-17 loss to the Bills.
But, with little to be hopeful about in the first year of a crucial rebuild, head coach Robert Saleh is still preaching that a corner will be turned, and there is still reason to believe in his group, which holds a 2-7 record and sits in last place in the AFC East.
“I’m just as frustrated as everybody else,” Saleh told reporters on Monday. “My promise to Jets fans is this thing’s gonna flip. The support and criticism is always warranted, and you reap what you sow, but this thing is gonna flip. I know in my heart this thing’s gonna flip.
“Sometimes you go through struggles to see glory, and I know that is one of those things that we get to experience.”
The defense has been historically bad, allowing more yards than any other four-game span in franchise history, but Saleh is preaching patience in that regard as well, even after the unit has allowed at least 45 points in three of its last four games.
“We’re year one in the system,” Saleh said. “[Jeff] Ulbrich and his staff are trying to figure this out just as the players are. They’re gonna hit a groove too. Am I there to assist? Absolutely. Do I sit in on meetings? Absolutely. Is play calling going to change anything? It’s not gonna change anything. It’s execution.”
Jets fans likely anticipated a season of transition, but with Zach Wilson taken as the second overall pick and other youngsters expected to show why they should represent the next core of a contending team in New York, fans wanted to see some kind of hope, or some sign that things were progressing in the right direction. The last few weeks have shown the opposite, as the Jets look nowhere closer to a winner than they were before Saleh took over. But that won’t stop Saleh from believing that it will change, and hopes others continue to believe the same.
“I know we’re better. I know we can be better,” Saleh said. “It’s frustrating, it is trying, but at the same time, we have eight games to embrace an incredible opportunity to show what we’re capable of…just like all fans, I’m frustrated, but I’m not lost on the big picture and that this thing is gonna turn, and when it does, it’s gonna be freakin’ awesome.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch