Subtle changes weren’t nearly enough for Jets
Robert Saleh went back to the drawing board during the Jets’ bye week. New York’s rookie head coach dug deep to diagnose the root of his team’s first-half struggles and altered small parts of his weekly plan to try and reinvigorate the group coming out of its bye week.
Whatever changes Saleh made need to be thrown away and buried somewhere they can never be found again.
New England rolled over the Jets on Sunday afternoon in the most embarrassing fashion possible. The Patriots’ mediocre offense hung 31 points and 300 yards on New York in the first half and did not let up over the final 30 minutes of play, finishing with 54 points — their highest total since scoring 51 against the Jaguars in 2015.
“Every once in a while, you get your [expletive] teeth kicked in,” Saleh said postgame.
The Jets seem to get their teeth kicked in more than any other team in football. They have been defeated by an average of 19.2 points per game so far this season and have lost by double digits 12 times in their last 22 games.
Those statistics don’t indicate all the Jets need is a few subtle changes to get back to winning consistently.
To be fair to Saleh, he did not inherit a sleeping giant. The Jets have been lacking the necessary talent in all three phases of the game to win for years now and that wasn’t going to change overnight. There was only so much Saleh could have done this season.
But 2021 was supposed to be about progress and almost none has been exhibited. Zach Wilson has been inconsistent at best and he might be in line to miss time after injuring his knee against the Patriots. Mike LaFleur’s offense has yet to score a single point in the first quarter and has scored just 20 points in the first half. Jeff Ulbrich’s defense has been rock solid at times, but has yet to register an interception and has played as soft as Charmin on multiple occasions.
It’s tough to do in the middle of a season, but Saleh needs to take a step back and reevaluate his big-picture plan. Does his vision for the Jets’ offense align with the way LaFleur calls a game? How can he and Ulbrich figure out a way to maximize the limited talent they have to work with on defense?
All of these questions are key to the way New York’s season goes from here on out.
Saleh is taking accountability for the Jets’ struggles. That’s a step in the right direction after Adam Gase spent the last two years placing the blame on everyone but himself. Saleh’s bar should be much higher than simply being better than his predecessor, though. His ability to make real adjustments, not minimal ones, will determine New York’s immediate and distant future.
Let’s hope he’s worlds better in that regard. Otherwise, it’ll be more of the same at One Jets Drive.
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4 standout stats from the Jets' Week 7 loss to the Patriots
