Robert Saleh’s “all gas, no brake” mantra perfectly sums up the way he approaches coaching and what he likes to see out of his players.
Saleh has long been known as a coach who brings the juice on a daily basis. His energy on the sideline is prevalent and it has a tendency to rub off on his players. Those who get after it on every play catch Saleh’s eye and earn his respect, whether that player lines up on offense, defense or special teams.
As it turns out, Saleh’s favorite position in football hails from the often forgotten phase of the game. The Jets have one of the best special teams gunners in the NFL in Justin Hardee. Watching the veteran play the position has given Saleh a new appreciation for what gunners do.
“That is a check your manhood, it’s a mindset, it is an absolute dogfight when you’re a gunner and you have to beat a one-on-one or a double team,” Saleh said Friday. “It’s a war on the edges and those guys are responsible for field position, flipping fields. They can win a lot of games without it ever coming to attention.
“Hardee is probably one of the best in football at that position. On top of it, his leadership skills, his deliberateness, his veteran presence, he’s everything that you would want out of a football player from a character standpoint. As a gunner, which is a very underrated position, and one of my favorites because it represents manhood, he’s pretty darn good at it.”
The Jets handed Hardee a three-year deal in free agency with the hope that he would be able to make a profound impact on Brant Boyer’s unit. Gunners aren’t usually headline-grabbing free agent signings, but Hardee fell into the category and he has delivered early in his career with the Jets.
That and the way he goes about his business has been more than enough to earn Saleh’s respect.
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