Robert Saleh takes responsibility for Jets’ loss in colorful postgame presser
Robert Saleh thought he figured it out during the bye week.
New York’s rookie head coach made changes during the week off to try and get the Jets to start faster. The alterations to his weekly plan did not pay off against the Patriots, though, as New England cruised to a 54-13 win in the Jets’ most embarrassing performance of the season.
Saleh’s team was simply not ready to play in Week 7. The Patriots roared out of the gates to score 31 points and total 300 yards in the first half. Things got even worse in the second half, although the damage was already done after the first 30 minutes of play.
The Jets did not have the benefit of having Zach Wilson from the second quarter on after he suffered a knee injury and did not return, but it likely would not have mattered with the Patriots humming and New York stumbling. Saleh took sole responsibility for Gang Green’s struggles postgame, placing the blame for its continued first-half woes and overall struggles on himself.
“It’s top-down,” Saleh said. “It starts with coaching all the way down. Obviously, we have to be better. They punched us in the freakin’ mouth and scored points, so credit to them.
“I’ve been part of some of those in my life. They don’t feel good.”
New York’s M.O. under Saleh has been slow starts followed by strong finishes that usually fall just short of being enough to win. The Jets didn’t come around in the second half against the Patriots, though, as Mike White looked as inexperienced as his resume indicated, throwing two interceptions in relief of Wilson.
Things weren’t any better on the defensive side of the ball, as the Jets allowed another 23 points before the final whistle.
“Every once in a while, you get your [expletive] teeth kicked in,” Saleh said.
Saleh not making excuses for the Jets’ poor performance is encouraging after two years of deflecting from Adam Gase. The NFL is a results-oriented business, though, and things are not going to get any easier for New York from here on out. Next up on the docket are the 5-2 Bengals, who just made a major statement with a 41-17 road win over the Ravens. A 2-4 Colts team that is better than its record indicates and the AFC East-leading Bills follow after that.
Saleh isn’t planning on spending any time yelling at his players to light a fire under them leading up to those games — he does not believe it is necessary at this level. Nonetheless, the rookie head coach will be on his team’s collective behind.
“I’ll be honest, we talk about adversity and everyone was asking, you can chalk this one up. It’s here,” Saleh said. “From coaches all the way down. The NFL doesn’t give a flying [expletive] in terms of scheduling. We have to line up next week, for the next 11 or 12, whatever we have left. I know we have the right men in that locker room. I know we have the right people in that locker room and I know we’ll come back strong. We gotta get it going.”
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5 takeaways from the Jets' lifeless loss to the Patriots
