Robert Saleh had a message for the Jets players on Thursday: it will step on the metal around his team.
“Get used to the mantra: all gas, no brakes,” Saleh said during his introductory news conference on Zoom. “When we talk about all gas and no brakes, we are not talking about effort on the field. We talk about the process we do. We talk about the way we prepare, the way we wake up every morning, the way we rehab, the way we communicate, the way we talk to each other. ”
Saleh, 41, spoke for a week about his vision for the Jets after agreeing to become the team’s new head coach. He did not knock on the table or guarantee Lombardi trophies, but delivered a clear message of what he expects and how he expects to achieve it. After this press conference, there will be no memes mocking him.
“We have a lot of work to do, but make no mistake that our goal is to win championships,” Saleh said.
The Jets hired Saleh after questioning at least nine candidates. The team practically talked to him first and then a few days later in New Jersey for a personal interview. Buyer of the team heard glowing reviews of Saleh before meeting him and was then impressed when they spoke to him.
“When we met Robert, he was struck by his presence,” said Christopher Johnson, the team’s CEO. “He showed the ability to connect with us in a virtual interview. He also clearly communicated a vision of this team that suits us. When we meet in person, it confirms everything we believed after our initial meeting. Robert has shown through his journey here that he is a leader, one who involves the whole team and with whom he will work together [general manager] Joe [Douglas] to continue building the culture of a winning organization.
“His character and passion is what this team needs.”
Saleh takes over a team that has been one of the worst in the NFL over the past year. The Jets have the longest playoffs in the NFL in ten seasons. They lost five consecutive years. The team passed 2-14 in 2020. Now Saleh will be the latest coach trying to turn the Jets into winners.
“It will take time, but everything we do will be designed to win championships in the future,” said Saleh, who has spent the past four seasons as a 49ers defense coordinator. ‘If we’re talking about all the gas, no brakes and that mentality, waking up in the morning, putting your foot on the pedal and having that mindset, then going to bed better again than you woke up. This is the attitude we are going to have and we are very confident that it will lead to championships. ”
Douglas said Saleh checked all the subjects for the Jets, emphasizing leadership in this search. It sounds like the Jets also checked a lot of closets for Saleh. Saleh, a Michigan resident, interviewed six of the seven teams that had jobs in this cycle. But he said he had a real connection with Johnson, Douglas and team president Hymie Elhai when they met.
“It just felt like a home,” Saleh said. ‘It felt like I was home again and talking to my high school friends. It’s home. ‘
Saleh was inspired to start coaching after his brother, David, escaped from the South Tower on 9/11. Saleh realizes that he can not wait to pursue his dream of coaching. He sees a greater significance for him to now become the coach of the Jets.
“I’m supposed to be here and I believe that,” Saleh said. “God does things for a reason and I believe it’s one of them.”
Being a leader of the entire team, Saleh will not name the defensive plays. He leaves it to defense coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who comes from the Hawks to the Jets. Adam Gase was often criticized for being too focused on the offense. Saleh believes he will not relinquish other duties if he does not call plays.
“Being able to focus on all aspects of a game, maintain our vision and maintain the standard we play at, is kind of the role I see as a head coach,” Saleh said.
Saleh said he reached out to every Jets player via text message and heard of some of it in text and calls, and he met a few who received medical treatment at the Jets headquarters.
He stressed how integral his relationships with players would be.
“I believe the investment coaches that are put into players should be the equivalent of investing in your children,” Saleh, the father of six, said to another child along the way. “You have to invest everything you have in your heart and soul in the players, because they rely on you to help them be their best, so that they can show off their skills on Sunday.”