There’s a lot of optimism and hype around the Jets this season with Aaron Rodgers back, but do they have the right guy at the helm on the headset?
“Outside of health, the one thing that concerns me is that I don't know if I necessarily believe that the Jets have a head coach that's capable of taking them to where they need to go,” Moose said of Robert Saleh Wednesday. “I think he's a good, player-friendly coach who defends his players and wants to be friends with everybody in the media, and keep up those relationships, but accountability when it comes to Saleh leaves me a little wanting, and you saw some sloppiness when it comes to penalties last year.”
Sloppy and unaccountable is a bad combo, and while Moose does understand what the Jets have in a healthy Rodgers and a ‘remarkable’ defense, and that can overcome an average coach, but…
“You’ve seen warts from Saleh the past couple of years here with Zach Wilson, and from this entire coaching staff, with the inability to deal with injuries and the inability to prepare their teams and put them in the best possible position to be successful,” Moose said. “Does he have a more talented team than last year? Yes, but Saleh continues to replicate the same mistakes he makes over and over again, and how can you look at a head coach who has the understanding that he's still here because the quarterback wants him here? And how do you then hold that QB accountable if you’re the head coach?”
Moose compared and contrasted Brian Daboll to that situation, and, yeah, Otis Livingston had a hard time finding the answer.
“I don’t know if you do,” Otis said of Moose’s last point. “You'd like to have a head coach who can drop the gavel can make decisions based on his gut or what he knows, and not at the behest of the all-time great quarterback, but that’s the situation he’s in.”
Otis does believe Saleh is a good enough coach for the Jets, even if he ‘does leave a lot to be desired,’ but he is ‘still learning the position.’
“I know it’s the fourth year now, but he’s still learning. He was a very good defensive coordinator, but as far as a total team aspect, maybe he's learning the offensive side of the football,” Otis said. “I think the jury is still out on what he's going to be, but I believe that if he has a successful season this year, that he can parlay that into a longer leash here with the New York Jets. And yeah, Aaron Rodgers probably does make those decisions as far as who he wants to be around because he has that much sway with the organization, but this could be a pivotal year for Robert Saleh. He needs to establish himself, not just because of the talent, but because of decisions that he makes in game and out of games.”
Moose wonders if that’s healthy, but hopefully, the ‘football Gods will eventually shine down on the Jets’ – for now, though, you can listen to their entire conversation above!