On its surface, the Jets’ 2021 season looks disastrous.
The team is 2-8 with the worst defense in the NFL, a still-developing rookie quarterback, and on track for another top-five draft pick. Robert Saleh doesn’t think everyone should panic, though. Despite the team’s recent failures and multiple rebuilds over the past 20 years, Saleh believes he and Joe Douglas finally have the formula to create a winning culture in New York.
“I respect the heck out of the urgency from the fans and the wanting to flip this thing, but in fairness, this is the first time this fan base is actually experiencing something like this,” Saleh said Monday. “Usually it’s been a quick fix, followed by a scramble. This is an actual plan.”
Queue the “it’s all part of the plan” clip from The Dark Knight.
Saleh was referencing the decisions made by past regimes under Mike Tannenbaum, John Idzik and Mike Maccagnan. Their years at the helm featured poor draft picks, bad trades and worse free agent signings. Saleh praised Douglas’ roster construction strategy and spoke about “exciting pieces” that are “hidden” among the losses – likely a nod to the performances of 2021 rookies like Elijah Moore, Michael Carter and Alijah Vera-Tucker.
“When you sit back and watch it from our perspective and the combination of veterans and youth, it’s definitely going in the right direction and eventually, while frustrating today, is going to be awesome when this thing gets flipped,” Saleh added.
Why is Saleh so confident that this plan will be more successful than the previous ones? He touched on his experiences with four other teams that went to through similar rebuilding efforts in Houston, Jacksonville, Seattle and San Francisco. The Seahawks and the 49ers made it to a Super Bowl, but Saleh noted Houston and Jacksonville grew tremendously during his time there.
“I’ve been very fortunate in my NFL career. This is the fifth team that we’ve attempted to rebuild,” he said. “While fans are frustrated, which I greatly appreciate, it’s a model that we’ve been through several times – four times for me – and it’s a model that looks like it’s moving in the direction exactly the way we want.”
Players aren’t lost on the plan. Veteran tackle Morgan Moses, who witnessed a few roster teardowns during his time in Washington, preached patience as well.
“One thing in this league – you gotta have patience,” Moses said Monday, per SNY. “Rome wasn’t built in one day, and this thing is not gonna turn around in one day.”
It may take more than one season for the “plan” to be fulfilled, but Saleh thinks the development of the team’s two most recent draft classes plus the plethora of draft capital in 2022 can push the Jets closer to their end goal.
“This team’s moving in the right direction,” Saleh said, “and really, I’m excited for the flip that it’s going to have.”
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