The Jets’ final game of the season comes on Sunday against the Bills, closing out Year One of the Robert Saleh era.
New York, sitting at 4-12 on the year, didn’t come into the season with high expectations, but the fanbase was hoping for tangible signs that the franchise was moving in the right direction after years of heartache. Just how starved New York was for signs of hope wasn’t apparent for Saleh until he began his tenure as head coach.
“It's been a rough stretch of time for this organization,” Saleh said. “One that you can’t truly sympathize with until you’re actually in it to understand how deep it runs, from the fanbase to the organization, to everybody who has been a part of it. this is year one for me, so I had no idea, but I promise you I do now, and I think our staff and our players do. And we embrace all of it.”
The Jets showed signs of promise on Sunday, building a lead against the defending champion Buccaneers before coughing it up late, but more importantly for Saleh, Zach Wilson again finished the day with no interceptions and looked more decisive in his decision making, in another encouraging step forward for what the Jets hope is the cornerstone of their current rebuild.
“The biggest thing is laying the foundation of what we’re trying to build on,” Saleh said. “The foundation is everything.”
Saleh believes the foundation has been laid in his first year as head coach, and that next season will be a brighter one for Gang Green. There was once again plenty of frustration in another long season, but Saleh believes those down times will be what a contender is built from.
“Laying this foundation for the standard of what we’re trying to accomplish and the direction we’re trying to go…the things that we need to continue to build are so clear and evident,” Saleh said.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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