Jets head coach Robert Saleh said Monday that there just wasn’t much to say about the way Gang Green was punched in the mouth on Sunday in New England.
Well, one day after watching his defense give up 54 points to the Patriots, Jets defensive coordinator had a few words to describe the feeling.
“Obviously embarrassment, anger, everything imaginable from that standpoint. It’s inexcusable and can’t happen again,” Ulbrich told the media. "We just absolutely did not play to the level that we’re capable of. We didn’t coach to the level we’re capable of, and fortunate we’ve got a group that absolutely acknowledges that, recognizes that from a coaching standpoint and a playing point, and promise that won’t happen again.”
The 54 points allowed were the most Gang Green has given up in over 40 years, and much of it came from either the running game or short screen-type passes, which Ulbrich noted was not optimal – neither in happening at all, or repeatedly.
“The run game, we didn’t fit up. New England is very interesting when it comes to how they attack you in the run game. Because it’s very specific to you and how you’re structured as a defense, and we did some things where we misfit it,” Ulbrich said. “We gotta be better in that way. I gotta call it better from that standpoint, too, give them a better opportunity. I gotta have enough variety as far as play calling is concerned and help to the corners that they can’t think that that’s a free shot. The screen game, the tackling, numerous things.”
But, as Robert Saleh often preaches, there are things to learn, and honest conversations needed to be had about what happened. They did, and Ulbrich had one positive to take out of them on Monday.
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“There’s a strong recognition to the fact that we’re absolutely in this together, and after a performance like that, everyone takes some blame,” he said. “We were transparent and brutally honest about what happened and how to fix it, obviously, and only approaching it in that way can we fix it to make sure it doesn’t happen again. There was a very honest meeting today, and they were very receptive to it, which is a positive amongst a very hard day. A positive from the standpoint that they are absolutely all in this together, and because of that, give us an opportunity to overcome this.”
A date with Cincinnati awaits next Sunday, the first chance to do so.
“We got a group that’s absolutely committed to working and understanding that’s the only way to get out of this hole,” he said. “We gotta make sure as coaches we put these guys in the right position to play fast and play sound football, and we will.”
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