Well, that didn’t take long. After a dismal three-and-a-half seasons as head coach of the New York Jets, Robert Saleh quickly rebuilt his coaching image, landing a new top job.
Saleh agreed to a five-year contract with the Tennessee Titans to be their head coach. He reportedly excelled in the interview process for a Titans team that has been even worse than the Jets in many ways.
With a young quarterback in Cam Ward, though, and plenty of cap space to add to the roster, Saleh saw another quality chance to be a head coach again.
Moreover, the Jets are now in an all-too familiar position — one that makes them the butt of the joke if Saleh is able to find long-term success in Nashville.
Jets’ former coach gets new job
New York Jets fans can see it now.
The loud and passionate Saleh, who never as much as showed an inkling of that excitement on the sideline when he was coaching in New York, will magically turn around a helpless Titans roster. Along the way, jokes about the franchise will be made across the country.
There’s a reason why Saleh was able to get a new job so quickly after all. His work in carrying a hobbled San Francisco 49ers defense to the divisional round of the playoffs was very impressive.
Of course, there was a reason he was fired in New York in the first place.
For Jets fans who blacked out over the last few years, Saleh finished his tenure with the Jets at 20-36. They struggled with discipline, injuries, adapting to change, and everything to do on the offensive side of the ball.
As much as analysts will argue Saleh wasn’t the person who decided to draft Zach Wilson, or trade key players like John Franklin-Myers, he’s responsible for plenty of mishaps, including the addition and continued employment of Nathaniel Hackett.
In short, while national pundits believe Saleh’s failures had more to do with the Jets than himself, the 46-year-old did himself no favors throughout his tenure.
Who gets the last laugh?
If you ask more league-wide analysts, they’ll all say it is highly probable Saleh has the ability to find success early in his tenure and “prove” the Jets wrong for firing him five games into his fourth season.
Those analysts will point to a young quarterback already on the roster in Ward, and the potential for Saleh to bring in a competent play-caller on offense to stabilize that side of the ball.
Even Jets fans will point to Saleh’s success, Aaron Glenn, and the struggles he had in his first season (the Jets won just three games) as reasons to believe down about the decision to Tennessee’s.
Of course, just because Saleh seems like he’s changed, it doesn’t mean the results on the field will. The Titans have struggled as much as the Jets have in recent years.
Their offensive line is a mess, they don’t have quality receivers, and their defense has been a major issue. Sure, Saleh could fix the defensive woes — just as he did with the Jets — but that doesn’t guarantee he’ll be a good head coach.
Some minds are better suited to be coordinators than to be head coaches. Saleh could be the latest example of that.
It’s far too early for fans to start worrying that Saleh will show the organization up, and any analyst cracking jokes about the Jets is proving that their job isn’t about breaking down football.
Instead, the goal is to lazily use the New York Jets as a punching bag (for their own benefit).