New York Jets Look To New Culture With New Coach Robert Saleh

Rising star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams described early in the month the new culture that he wished to see in the Jets moving forward. Williams longed for a new defensive culture for the Jets, one reminiscent of the New York Sack Exchange of the 1980s. The Jets have hired just the man to lead that change.

The New York Jets announced on January 14th that former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh would become their new head coach. Just less than two weeks after moving on from former head coach Adam Gase, General Manager Joe Douglas quickly identified Saleh as his guy moving forward.

Robert Saleh is the change the Jets need after a disaster of a tenure with Adam Gase that saw New York go 9-23 in his two years at the helm. Douglas made it clear what he wanted in his new head coach, a person with “high integrity and outstanding leadership and communication skills,” as he said at the start of their search. Saleh fits this bill extremely well. Saleh is a true leader of men that commands the respect of his players. He has impressed in his time as a coach and player developer in San Francisco, especially over the past two seasons. 

Over the past two years, Robert Saleh has built San Francisco into one of the top defensive units in the league. During the team’s Super Bowl run in 2019, the 49ers were 2nd in total yards allowed, allowing a league-best 4.7 yards per play. They ranked top ten in both points allowed and in takeaways.

This past year the 49ers were one of the most injured squads in the entire league. Stars Nick Bosa and Richard Sherman missed almost the entire year due to injuries. Other contributors on defense such as: Jaquiski Tartt, Dee Ford, Solomon Thomas, K’Waun Williams, as well as new signing Ziggy Ansah all missed lengthy periods of time during the season.

Despite the entire defense being injured and the offense not being as effective as the year before due to even more injuries, Saleh still rallied what he had into a good defense. The 49ers still were in the top 5 for total yards given up. They were about league average in points given up as well. With a ton of adversity, Robert Saleh made the most out of the situation.

Robert Saleh has a ton of good experience prior to his time with the 49ers. Starting in 2011 Saleh would learn under Pete Caroll and Gus Bradley, the architects of the Legion of Boom, as the Seahawks defensive quality control coach. He eventually would reunite with Bradley in 2014 in Jacksonville as their linebackers coach, helping develop future stars, Telvin Smith and Myles Jack.

Robert Saleh has learned under some of the best defensive minds of the 2010s, and in recent years has started to make a name for himself as a top defensive coordinator. Given his pedigree, experience, and results, the New York Jets look to have grabbed the top head coaching candidate of the offseason and a potential top head coach for the future. Saleh will have a bevy of young talent at his disposal in addition to top picks in this year’s NFL Draft, and can help change the Jets from the perennial “butt fumble” of the league, to a respected top contender.

All stats provided by Pro Football Reference

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-By: Jacob Keppen