Yahoo Sports NFL analyst Nate Tice and fantasy analyst Matt Harmon discuss the Jets firing of Robert Saleh and what the future holds for the struggling New York Jets. Hear the full conversation on “Football 301” – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
Robert Sala, head coach of the Jets now fired with a career record of 2036.
They are entering week six with a chance to for the lead in the AFC East against the Bills.
What was your first takeaway about Robert Salah?
Now entering the unemployment line as a coach, even though the defense, which, you know, I know he’s not defensive coordinator, but he has a lot of say on that defense doing well.
Yeah.
So in a weird way, my first reaction when I saw the notification pop up on the phone was literally out loud.
I said, holy shit.
I mean, just because it was definitely a surprise at the same time though.
Like I said, this is a, I’m gonna contradict myself there and say I’m a, it’s not that surprising even though the initial reaction is, is one of shock for one, the second that Rogers in the press conference, you know, kind of pushes back on Sala and the whole cadence comment right away.
I’m like, oh, this is not, this is something like when there’s smoke, there’s fire with the, the, the Thursday night game where they’re blowing out the Patriots and Rogers kind of like pushes off Sala like the that like, Huggie tries to get him.
There’s, there was obviously something going on there.
Clearly, the most powerful person in that building beyond the owner is the quarterback is Aaron Rodgers.
He obviously has more sway in that building than Sala.
So if there was any sort of like, hey, we need to put a band aid on this.
It’s not, let’s pick at what Aaron likes to do.
It’s let’s get rid of the head coach.
And also just again, you look at Sala’s record, I’m with you, like he obviously the Jets defense is fantastic, but you are the head coach.
I think we get, I think we get stuck on this too much on the outside of like, well, the, the side of the ball that he is responsible from like that.
He, he, that, that, that’s why he got this job is good.
Like, why are we firing this guy?
Well, and again, I, I realize what I just said there that the reason the offense coordinator is in place is, is because of the quarterback and all of this stuff.
It’s very, that’s a tangled knot.
But regardless of that, the buck does stop with you, you have the record that you do, you’re performing the way that you do.
I think this team looks like a poorly coached team mostly on the opposite side of the ball, but you are accountable for the entire operation, the entire operation has not been good under the Robert Sala era.
And like that is just a fact whether it’s all his fault or, or whatever is kind of a separate discussion.
But just like in the, in that reality, it’s not that surprising to see this head coach get let go.