GREEN BAY, Washington – In June, Robert Saleh was asked about the identity of his Jets team and his response was revealing.
“Our identity will not be revealed until we see the adversities,” he said. “When things are good everyone likes to be part of winning, everyone likes to be part of good things. … But what will happen when you suffer adversity, when things do not go your way? How will you look, not just as an individual, but as a team? These moments must be revealed. “
Adversity hit the Jets heavily on Thursday when runner Carl Lawson sank to the ground at Ray Nitschke field after breaking his Achilles tendon on his left, which ended the season before it actually start. The injury hit the Jets like a hammer. The team was confident that Lawson would be the answer to what he had been missing for the past 15 years. In the early days of training camp, Lawson hired the three-year $ 45 million the Jets gave him a wise investment. He dominated every day and had the Jets dreaming of what he could do in the games.
On Thursday they woke up from those dreams.
Now, Saleh has to pick up the pieces and get his equipment back. This is one of the reasons Saleh was hired by the Jets. They were impressed by many things about the coach, but their leadership was paramount.
When you ask Jets people about Saleh, you often hear about their energy, but you also hear about their calm. While Lawson’s news had to deflate for the 42-year-old, he certainly wasn’t surrounded by self-pity.
Just look back at last year in San Francisco to see how Saleh treats the injuries. The 49ers were decimated by injuries in defense of Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, Dee Ford, Richard Sherman and Ezekiel Ansah. The 49ers still finished No. 5 in total defense and No. 4 in passing defense of the league.
When the Jets interviewed Saleh, he highlighted his ability to build the bench. Saleh was able to train reserves in order not to play as well as the men they replaced, but close. Last year, in San Francisco, Saleh earned years of career with cornerback Jason Verrett and defensive lineman Kerry Hyder, two players who hadn’t played big roles before last season.
“Next man up” is a cliché that is thrown up every time a team has injuries. But Saleh seems to really believe in training players from 1 to 85 on the roster.
“The difference between player A and player Z is minimal,” Saleh said this spring, “and the only thing preventing player Z from becoming player A is an opportunity and reps. Let’s see what happens.
“Does it always happen? It doesn’t, but unless you’re willing to be bold enough to train your tail and invest all you can in these young men and give them a chance to be seen, give them a chance to get reps and give them a chance to improve, you’ll never know what you can find. So that’s just the belief and philosophy not just of our technical team, but of the whole organization, and that’s what we’re committed to. “
Lawson’s potential production will likely not be replaced by a player. Some combination of Bryce Huff, Ronald Blair, Vinny Curry and others will have to step in and replace him.
Lawson’s loss should also not be seen as the difference between the Jets having a good season and a bad one. We keep things in perspective: the Jets will fight this season even with Lawson. His impact will be noticeable on defense, which can now yield more yards and points in certain games than if Lawson were playing, but defensive ends don’t have a big impact on total win-losses.
Still, Saleh has to regroup his team, which was surely stunned after Thursday’s news.
The Jets have three weeks before playing Sam Darnold and the Panthers in Charlotte. It’s been a season of sunshine and rainbow for the Jets with the hiring of Saleh and the hiring of Zach Wilson. Clouds were introduced on Thursday. As Saleh said, adversity will reveal identity. We’re about to start figuring out who the 2021 Jets are.