Jets head coach Robert Saleh says he’s “trending up” and hopes to return to the Jets in person sometime this week, with eyes on coaching Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay.
“I feel great; my numbers have been trending up for a couple days, and hopefully I can get back here in the next day or two,” Saleh smiled on a Zoom call with the media Monday.
According to the head coach, his entire week consisted of going to the team facility to test, and then maybe getting a meal before heading right back to his hotel room to quarantine.
“Maybe I could go for a meal or Scar would bring up a plate for me, but that was it,” Saleh said. “I missed Christmas with the kiddos, but they’re healthy and happy so that’s all that matters.”
Saleh wasn’t there for the Jets’ win over Jacksonville on Sunday, but he did watch the game…albeit with some spoilers, as he was on FaceTime with Packers head coach Matt LaFleur (brother of Jets offensive coordinator Mike) and Matt’s feed was slightly ahead.
A situation that came to a head when Conor McDermott scored his big man touchdown on a fourth-and-goal play to put the Jets up for good late in the fourth quarter.
“We were watching the game at the same time but he was like five seconds ahead, and I was yelling at him to stop telling me what was happening,” Saleh said. “I could tell something happened because he was like ‘ooh!’ so when he caught it, I was just laughing like I couldn’t believe it happened.”
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Saleh also got to see what he called Zach Wilson’s best throw of the season, the third-and-nine toss to Braxton Berrios late that helped set up the final field goal, as well as quite a few other impressive plays from his rookie quarterback.
“Not some gaudy passing numbers, but he made some very good throws, and I’ll argue that the third-down pass to Berrios was the best throw he made all season,” Saleh said. “It was a clutch throw and catch on a critical down to keep the chains moving. Zach’s decision-making has been fantastic, and his off-schedule playmaking is improving and starting to look natural.”
All in all, Saleh ran a range of emotions watching the game from his hotel room, but all was well that ended well.
“It was frustrating to have to watch from my little cubby here, and not being there,” Saleh said. “It seemed like an awesome game where guys played their butts off, but it was awesome to see the ending. It was a weird experience, but it was a cool experience because we won.”
No noise complaints from other patrons in his hotel, Saleh joked, but he was pumped not only for the win, but also for the Jets getting it despite all of the COVID complications surrounding the team.
“With all the adversity and the amount of movement and lack of continuity, they did great. It’s exactly what I think of professional players, who went about their business the way they needed to,” Saleh said. “Their effort was a really cool thing to see, and it’s a testament to this group in the locker room. It’s definitely something to build off of.”
Saleh’s return this Sunday will be one of many for the Jets, as the head coach announced that seven players – including John Franklin-Myers and Foley Fotukasi – should come off the COVID list early this week, and he expects Michael Carter II and Ashtyn Davis to join them later in the week.
His return also likely means the end of Ron Middleton’s tenure as acting head coach, although Saleh is stoked that it ends with a 1-0 record.
“I thought he did a wonderful job upholding the game plan and being aggressive. I loved it all,” Saleh said. “A couple things didn’t work, but I thought he did a great job.”
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