Robert Saleh received a message on Thursday for the Jets players: he will be a pedal to the metal around his team.
“Get used to the mantra: all gas, no brakes,” Saleh said during his introductory press conference on Zoom. “When we talk about all the gas and there is no brake, we are not talking about effort in the field. We are talking about the process in which we do things. We are talking about the way we prepare, the way we wake up every morning, our rehabilitation, our way of communicating, the way we talk to each other ”.
Saleh, 41, talked about his vision of the Jets a week after agreeing to become the team’s new coach. He didn’t hit the table or guarantee Lombardi’s trophies, but he sent a clear message of what he expects and how he hopes to achieve it. After this press conference there will be no memes mocking him.
“We have a lot of work to do, but let’s not be fooled that our goal is to win championships,” Saleh said.
The Jets hired Saleh after interviewing at least nine candidates. The team spoke to him practically first and then did it for an in-person interview a few days later in New Jersey. The music team had heard brilliant reviews of Saleh before meeting him and then was impressed when they spoke to him.
“When we met with Robert, I was surprised by his presence,” said Christopher Johnson, general manager and team president. “He showed the ability to participate with us in a virtual interview. He also clearly communicated a vision of this team that aligns with ours. When we met in person, he validated everything we believed after our initial meeting. Robert has shown through his journey here that he is a leader, that he will involve the whole team and that he will partner [general manager] Joe [Douglas] to continue building the culture of a winning organization.
“His character and passion are what this team needs.”
Saleh is in charge of a team that has been one of the worst in the NFL in recent years. The Jets have the longest playoff drought in the NFL in ten seasons. They have been losing for five years in a row. The team went from 2 to 14 in 2020. Now, Saleh will be the last coach to try to turn the Jets into winners.
“Time will pass, but everything we do will be designed to win championships in the future,” said Saleh, who has spent the past four seasons as the 49ers ’defensive coordinator. “When we talk about all the gas, there is no brake and this mentality, waking up in the morning, putting your foot on the pedal and having this mentality, goes back to bed better than you woke up. That is the mentality we will have and we are very confident that this will lead to championships. “
Douglas said Saleh ticked all the Jets squares, which highlighted the leadership in that search. It seems the Jets also scored a lot of boxes for Saleh. Saleh, a native of Michigan, interviewed six of the seven teams that had job opportunities in this cycle. But he said he felt a real connection to Johnson, Douglas and team president Hymie Elhai when they met.
“I felt right at home,” Saleh said. “I thought I was coming home talking to my high school friends. It’s at home. “
Saleh was inspired to train after his brother, David, escaped from the south tower on 9/11. Saleh realized he couldn’t wait to pursue his dream of coaching. He sees greater significance for him now to become the Jets coach.
“I’m supposed to be here and I think so,” Saleh said. “God does things for a reason and I think that’s one of them.”
To be the leader of the whole team, Saleh will not call up the defensive plays. He will leave it to defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who arrives at the Falcons Jets. Adam Gase was often criticized for being too focused on offense. Saleh believes that not calling plays will set him free for other roles.
“Being able to have that focus on every aspect of a game, maintaining our vision and maintaining the standard in which we play is kind of the role I see a head coach take on,” Saleh said.
Saleh said he has contacted all of the Jets players via text messages and received news of some of them in text messages and calls, and has met with a few who were receiving medical treatment at the headquarters of the Jets. Jets.
He highlighted the integrity of his relationships with the players.
“I think investment coaches for players should be the equivalent of the investment you make in your kids,” said Saleh, the father of six with another son on the way. “You have to invest everything you have in your heart and soul in these players so that they trust you to help them be the best they can so that they can show off their skills on Sunday.”