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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — In what turned out to be his final news conference as head coach of the New York Jets, Robert Saleh told reporters Monday morning, “I’m not panicked. Nobody in the building is panicked.”
He was wrong.
Twenty-four hours later, owner Woody Johnson entered the building and informed Saleh he was being terminated after a 2-3 start to the season — the first in-season, head-coaching move in Johnson’s 25 years of ownership.
Obvious question: Will this move — stunning and unprecedented — change anything?
Will replacing a defensive-minded coach with a defensive-minded interim (defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich) revitalize a team whose greatest failing is the offense?
Embattled offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett wasn’t fired with Saleh, according to a team source, but his status remains up in the air. It’s possible that he could be stripped of his playcalling responsibilities, with the job going to passing game coordinator Todd Downing. That will be Ulbrich’s decision. Hackett is, of course, best buddies with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who wields considerable influence within the organization.
The decision to fire Saleh belonged to Johnson, a team source said, and the reason is because he wanted to try something to save the season before it got away from them, like so many others have. They haven’t made the playoffs in 13 years, the NFL’s longest active drought.
“This was not an easy decision, but we are not where we should be given our expectations, and I believe now is the best time for us to move in a different direction,” Johnson said in a statement.
Johnson went on to say that Ulbrich and “the coaches on this staff can get the most out of our talented team and attain the goals we established this offseason.”
The 77-year-old owner is hoping for a little Las Vegas-like luck.
In 2021, the Las Vegas Raiders became the only team in the Super Bowl era to make the playoffs with a different head coach than in the season opener, according to Elias Sports. Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia replaced Jon Gruden after Week 5, but it’s important to note that Gruden resigned his position after reports said that emails he wrote included racist, misogynistic and anti-gay language.
Before that, the last team to change coaches and make the playoffs was the 1961 Houston Oilers.
Basically, Johnson is attempting to make history.
Everybody knew the stakes at the start of the season: Win now or else. It was widely assumed that Saleh, who finished with a 20-36 record, would get one year to capitalize on the rapidly closing window with his 40-year-old quarterback.
Essentially, Johnson amplified his sense of urgency back in February, when he told reporters he was furious by last season’s 7-10 finish. He added, “This is it. This is the time to go. We’ve got to produce this year.”
Then the Jets went out and acquired more win-now players such as wide receiver Mike Williams, tackle Tyron Smith and edge rusher Haason Reddick, who refused to report and still is holding out for a new contract. They may add another big name, if they can pull off the trade for disgruntled Raiders receiver Davante Adams, who happens to be good friends with Rodgers.
The Jets were supposed to have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. Johnson was thinking Super Bowl. Then came the Week 4 loss to the Denver Broncos, an ugly game that shook the organization and dropped the Jets to 2-2.
The day after the 10-9 loss, Johnson shared his concerns with Saleh, a team source said, creating a sense of tension in the building. In retrospect, Saleh was coaching for his job Sunday in London, where the Jets lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 23-17, after falling behind 17-0.
Watching his team lose to their former quarterback (Sam Darnold) in London, where Johnson served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom for the Trump administration, proved too much for the owner to stomach. So he stepped out of character and made the coaching change.
Ulbrich, 47, is an upbeat former player who, with help from Saleh, turned the Jets into one of the better defensive teams over the past two-plus seasons. Defense isn’t the problem; as usual, it’s the offense, which seems dysfunctional even with Rodgers running the show. This is why Ulbrich is thought to be considering a demotion for Hackett.
Through five games, the production is virtually identical to last season’s first five games, when Zach Wilson — not Rodgers — was the quarterback. They have the same number of points scored (93) and nearly the same yards per game (a fractional jump from 284 to 287).
The common denominator is Hackett. Under him, the offense has been predictable and slow-starting, prone to breakdowns in pass protection and with no creativity in the running game. Breece Hall, one of the most talented running backs in the league, is averaging only 3.0 yards per rush.
Rodgers, coming off a rare three-interception game, seems out of sync with his receivers and hesitant to throw the ball downfield. Known for his expertise at the line of scrimmage, he’s struggling at times to diagnose blitzes, resulting in unblocked rushers and a barrage of body blows.
Ulbrich has 12 games to get Rodgers right this season, turn the offense into a functional unit, galvanize the team and deliver on the owner’s massive expectations. If he can do all that, it will be a season for the ages.