Jets coaching and front office future uncertain after eight straight losses

Reports from 1 Jets Drive consistently report that head coach Robert Saleh, general manager Joe Douglas, and staff are safe from any retaliatory failure in the 2023 season.

However, Sunday was certainly the way the story changed dramatically.

With New York’s 30-0 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon, not only did the Jets fall out of playoff contention for the 13th straight year, but little has changed in the three years since Douglas and Saleh coached together. showed that. The offense, featuring 11 different offensive line combinations and a fourth quarterback, totaled just 103 yards. Saleh’s calling card, the defense, was also an undisciplined unit that struggled to make stops when needed.

It all culminated in one of the ugliest losses of the Saleh era, and despite potential guarantees from Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, was it really worth bringing everyone back for another season? brought about the question.

“It’s disappointing,” Saleh said after the Jets’ loss. “From the first series of the year to now, it’s been a constant battle. I’m really grateful to our staff. We still have three games left to do well. I don’t feel well right now. But you have to remember that we felt pretty good last week as well. We had a good Washington team coming in and were going to lick their chops, so we went and worked and played on that team. We have to be prepared to do that.”

But one of the biggest reasons for both coach and general manager to stay is the improved locker room presence that has been building over the years. After the Adam Gase era, Saleh has built a connected room where they play for each other without blaming each other.

However, everyone has a breaking point. The question is whether a loss like last Sunday’s will be the final blow to tear down a locker room that is doing everything it can to maintain unity.

According to some, that fracture is officially starting to appear.

After Sunday’s loss ended the team’s eighth straight losing season, wide receiver Allen Lazard made it clear there were many reasons why the Jets lost to the Dolphins.

“They outplayed us and outplayed us,” Lazard said. “They played a better football game than we did today.”

Lazard’s comments about this plan were a microcosm of what everyone could see while watching — the Jets appear unprepared to deal with the losses on the offensive line and the modifications Miami made on defense. It looked like. That recipe led to Sunday’s explosive fiasco.

Perhaps worst of all, Lazard wasn’t the only one criticizing the plan the team put on the field.

“I think they (Miami) have a lot of things in their favor that make it easier to plan,” Garrett Wilson explained. “Tyreke (Hill) goes down and (Jalen) Waddle comes in there and he goes for 150. That’s the ball I grew up loving. But that’s not how we get better, how we get better. I’ve got to find a way to run routes, get better in the meeting room and get in early.”

When a team has an Offensive Rookie of the Year and has few weapons behind him and struggles to get the ball to him, it’s more of a problem for the coaching staff to not be able to get the ball to their best player. is.

That can’t happen in modern soccer either.

“You have put together the best possible plan,” Saleh explained. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s not. However, overall,
Everything about the offense, from coaching to execution, just wasn’t good enough today. ”

Sunday’s offensive deficiencies highlight the lack of competitiveness on that side of the ball during the Saleh era. The 103 yards were the fourth-fewest in franchise history, and three of the five yards came under this coaching regime. Despite the obvious concerns, the big picture is that it has less to do with the coaching staff and more to do with the players assembled.

No one blamed the Jets for not making the playoffs without Rodgers. Every time a four-time NFL MVP is lost that year, there’s a good chance that team isn’t very good. The real problem is that the Jets’ front office had a chance to mitigate the loss of a quarterback and chose not to.

Douglas’ inaction in several key moments this season is the biggest reason the Jets are where they are. When Corey Davis suddenly retired before the start of the season, Douglas chose not to bring in another quality veteran receiver to make up for the loss. They were unable to acquire an offensive lineman and a quarterback by the deadline, even though those were two of the biggest needs for a 4-3 team.

Front office inaction can sink any season. That’s exactly what happened to the Jets in 2023. When that inaction occurs, there is little the coaching staff can systematically do to salvage what little is left. So while the locker room tries to come together and the team looks toward 2024, the big question will be what will happen to Saleh and Douglas.

If the locker room stays intact and they play hard in the final three games of the season, it’s reasonable to think they’ll all be back next year. If more shows like Sunday’s take place, previous reports that everyone is safe could change dramatically in the coming weeks.

For more New York Jets news, visit AMNY.com.