When special teams coordinator Brant Boyer heard the Jets hired Robert Saleh to replace Adam Gase, he immediately flew home in the middle of a fishing trip in Nevada to meet the new boss and sell himself.
Boyer had already survived Todd Bowles’ firing in 2018 when Adam Gase retained him. But it wasn’t clear if Saleh would keep Boyer for his sixth season in New York.
“I think I’m pretty damn lucky,” Boyer said Friday. “The coaching staff’s been awesome. Saleh is full of energy. He’s smart as heck and he’s really detailed. I’ve really, really enjoyed all these guys so far.”
Boyer’s special teams units remained solid through the tumultuous eras of Bowles and Gase. New York ranked first and fourth in special teams DVOA in 2018 and 2019, respectively, per Football Outsiders. The Jets ranked 30th in special teams in 2020 – but every position group on the Jets played horrifically in Gase’s final season.
This season will be a little different for Boyer because of the personnel changes. He lost special teams stalwarts like Mattias Farley and Carlos Basham but added veterans Justin Hardee and Sharrod Neasman. Plus he has a plethora of athletic rookies with special teams experience. Boyer was especially excited when the Jets signed Hardee as their go-to gunner.
“It’s certainly a change with the personnel and things like,” Boyer said, “but that’s part of, you know, being a coach and learning different personalities as far as the players and molding them into what you want.”
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