The Jets gave little reason for optimism with their 30-9 loss to the Saints on Sunday, but that won’t stop head coach Robert Saleh from believing that the franchise is still trending in the right direction.
“Does it suck right now? Sure, I feel you,” Saleh said after Sunday’s defeat. “Nobody in this locker room wants to lose football games, but at the same time, I've said it before, the path is crystal clear on where this organization needs to go.”
The only thing that was crystal clear on Sunday was that the Jets need to improve in a number of areas if they are to halt this now 11-year playoff drought any time soon. Now, with the team painfully shorthanded due to injury and the playoffs officially out of reach, Saleh was left to field questions about the team’s motivation for the final four games of the season, but he expressed no concern that his group would continue to show up.
“There’s people who pay money to watch you perform,” Saleh said. “Getting these guys up to play has never been an issue, and the whole idea that players shut down, I don’t believe in any of that stuff. There’s a lot of pride in an NFL locker room. So they’ll be ready to play.”
New York has already sealed its fifth season with double-digit losses in the last six years, and Sunday felt like a new bottom with costly penalties, multiple dropped passes and a step back from Zach Wilson. Even with all signs pointing towards another disastrous season, Saleh expects the mood to be a lot different by season’s end.
“We’re gonna have a good month and a half,” Saleh said. “This league is not gonna feel sorry for you. You’re putting tape on, and all these guys understand that aspect of it, and every coach understand that as coaches, your product is on the field, and as a player, your product is on the field. So you’re still expected to go out and perform.”
Such improvements would have to begin next Sunday against the Dolphins, and Saleh says it will be a better product by then, especially from those who were asked to take on bigger roles amid all the team’s injuries.
“You’re not gonna get the tangible ‘get better’ that you’re looking for when guys are getting their first opportunity on the football field, but I promise they’ll be better next week,” Saleh said.
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