Robert Saleh spoke with reporters on Monday, and addressed all the heat surrounding him and his coaching staff entering year four of his tenure as head coach.
“When you lose, you’re a loser. I suck, Joe D sucks, we all suck,” Saleh said. “It goes with the territory. The best thing we can do is put our heads down. We gotta go to work…When we win football games, all of the narratives will change.”
The narrative is once again that Gang Green has had a very strong offseason, bolstering the offensive line with the likes of All-Pro Tyron Smith, and finding that much-needed WR2 with the signing of Mike Williams.
Saleh went through this dance last year, when the acquisition of Aaron Rodgers had the Jets under the microscope like never before. It turned into disaster when Rodgers went down four snaps into the season, and a year later, Saleh knows none of it matters if it is followed up by more disappointment.
“There’s no hiding from it. You trade for a guy like Aaron Rodgers, it would be silly for any of us to hide from it,” Saleh said. “But the reality is, winning offseasons doesn't matter. We've got to win football games. No matter how much excitement is around the organization…none of it matters. We just gotta keep our heads down and find ways to get better. When we get to the season, we gotta find a way to put wins in the win column.”
Still, despite the mounting pressure, Saleh wouldn’t bite when asked if the Jets have to end their painfully long playoff drought, especially with owner Woody Johnson not hiding his frustration with how things have gone in recent years.
“I'll never say that. Put your head down, do the best you can, put your work in,” Saleh said. “We all want to win games, go to the playoffs, win championships. That’s been the goal since the day we walked in hear. We felt like we were going to have that opportunity last year, and it didn't happen. This year is about picking ourselves up, putting our heads down, and just working.”
Saleh did change his tune, slightly, when asked if head coaches in year four need to make the postseason to ensure job security.
“I guess you could say that,” Saleh said. “You only get so many opportunities. The pressure to win is always there in the NFL. You’re always trying to achieve what you set out to achieve.”
