Tag: Ron Middleton

WATCH: Jets TE coach Ron Middleton delivers epic pregame Senior Bowl speech

Jets tight ends coach Ron Middleton got the National Team at the Senior Bowl amped up with an epic pregame speech.

Jets tight ends coach Ron Middleton is making the most of his experience as the head coach of the National Team at this year’s Senior Bowl.

Middleton, who was named the head coach of the National Team after leading the Jets to a win over the Jaguars in 2021 with Robert Saleh sidelined due to COVID-19, delivered an epic pregame speech before the National Team hit the field to take on the American Team on Saturday afternoon.

Middleton and the rest of New York’s coaching staff have worked closely with some of the top prospects in this year’s draft during a week’s worth of Senior Bowl practices. Saleh and the rest of the Jets brass will now watch on as Middleton tries to notch his second win as a head coach with players who could land in the Big Apple when the 2022 NFL draft rolls around in April.

Robert Saleh, bevy of players return to Jets after clearing COVID-19 protocols

Robert Saleh missed a week of practice and the Jaguars game after he tested positive for COVID-19. He and a few other Jets are back now.

Robert Saleh is back with the Jets after clearing COVID-19 protocols Tuesday night.

The Jets coach missed last week after testing positive for the virus last Wednesday. Tight ends coach Ron Middleton ran practices in place of Saleh and coached the Jets’ Week 16 win over the Jaguars.

“It’s like the first day of school,” Saleh said Wednesday in his first press conference back at the team facility. “I’m ready to go another 18 weeks.”

Saleh is not the only member of the Jets returning to the team. QB Joe Flacco, TE Kenny Yeboah, CB Michael Carter II, CB Lamar Jackson, DT Jonathan Marshall, LB Noah Dawkins, LB Hamsah Nasirildeen, DT Foley Fatukasi and DL Tanzel Smart all cleared COVID-19 protocols, according to Saleh.

The Jets hope to get WR Vycint Smith, OT Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, OG Alijah Vera-Tucker, DE John Franklin-Myers, S Ashtyn Davis and DE Hamilcar Rashed Jr. back from the COVID-19 list at some point this week.

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Jason Pinnock, Ron Middleton among unsung 6 unsung heroes in Jets’ win over Jaguars

Jason Pinnock and the Jets offensive line didn’t put up incredible numbers in Week 16, but they played crucial roles in the win.

With so many players out due to COVID-19, a lot of Jets were forced to step into unfamiliar roles on Sunday.

Normally, that would spell trouble for teams – especially ones as young and inexperienced as the Jets. But New York proved up to the task in the Jets’ 26-21 win over the Jaguars in Week 16.

While Zach Wilson, Michael Carter and Braxton Berrios all deserve praise for the victory, there were plenty of Jets who made small contributions that proved crucial in the win.

Here are six unsung heroes from the Jets’ fourth victory of the season.

Interim HC Ron Middleton blown away by Jets’ ‘team effort’ in Week 16 win

Five days ago, Ron Middleton was only coaching the Jets’ tight ends. Now he’s 1-0 as a head coach after Robert Saleh missed Week 16.

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Ron Middleton is 1-0 as a head coach in the NFL.

Robert Saleh tapped Middleton as his replacement while New York’s actual head coach was out with COVID-19. The Jets’ tight ends coach found himself with a whole new set of responsibilities when Saleh couldn’t join the team for Week 16, but Middleton emerged victorious against the Jaguars.

Middleton doesn’t remember how he reacted when the final whistle blew on the 26-21 triumph, but he was excited for the Jets’ fourth win of the season.

“I thought it was truly, truly a team effort. Special teams, offense, defense – I think everybody stepped up,” Middleton said after the game. “It was an awesome win. An awesome win.”

With the Jaguars driving down the field and the Jets nursing a five-point lead with seconds left on the clock, Middleton agreed that the game got “real tense.”

“I thought it was a great game, too good of a game, good for TV ratings anyway,” he added. “It was exciting and I’m just glad it worked out for us.”

It’s unclear when Saleh will return after testing positive for the virus last week, but Middleton has already learned a lot from his head-coaching experience. Particularly everything that goes on behind the scenes. He specifically shouted out the Jets’ public relations staff for prepping him well for interviews, as we as Saleh’s chief of staff, Steve Scarnecchia, for providing lots of notes for Middleton.

“It’s like a duck on water,” Middleton said. “Everything looks real smooth, but under the water, it’s a lot of pedaling.”

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5 takeaways from Jets interim head coach Ron Middleton’s press conference

Ron Middleton took over the Jets’ head coaching duties after Robert Saleh tested positive for COVID-19. Here’s what Middleton had to say about his temporary promotion.

Jets tight ends coach Ron Middleton stepped into the role of head coach when Robert Saleh tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday morning.

Middleton ran Wednesday’s practice and will continue to serve as interim head coach until Saleh returns. That could include Week 16’s matchup with the Jaguars depending on how long it takes Saleh to return.

In accordance with head-coaching responsibilities, Middleton spoke to the media following practice. He gave a few updates on injuries but mostly spoke about the situation the Jets face right now.

Here are five takeaways from Middleton’s press conference.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh tests positive for COVID-19

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh has tested positive for COVID-19. Tight ends coach Ron Middleton will run Wednesday’s practice.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh has tested positive for COVID-19 after coming down with symptoms.

Tight ends coach Ron Middleton will take over and run practice on Wednesday. If Saleh does not test out of COVID protocols by Sunday, Middleton will be New York’s acting head coach against the Jaguars.

Saleh could return to the Jets as soon as Thursday if he stops showing symptoms and tests negative. Saleh is vaccinated, per the Daily News’ DJ Bien-Aime.

The Jets, like many other teams around the NFL, have been hit hard by COVID over the last week and a half. New York currently has 14 players on the COVID list, including rookies Alijah Vera-Tucker and Michael Carter II, who were placed on the list Tuesday.

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Jags TE coach Ron Middleton discusses catering to Tyler Eifert’s strengths

The tight end position is one many Jacksonville Jaguars fans will be watching closely this year because there are a lot of questions to be answered. Most were especially eager to see second-year tight end Josh Oliver return to the field as he …

The tight end position is one many Jacksonville Jaguars fans will be watching closely this year because there are a lot of questions to be answered. Most were especially eager to see second-year tight end Josh Oliver return to the field as he offered great upside as a pass-catcher, however, those plans will have to be put on hold after he recently broke his foot.

One player tight end coach Ron Middleton clearly believes could be the guy is veteran Tyler Eifert, who was one of the team’s top free-agent additions. In his meeting with the media Tuesday, he spoke highly of Eifert’s receiving skills and made it clear that he’s going to be heavily used in the passing game.

“We’ve got to be smart, as coaches, to put him in the position where’s he going to best serve or best give us the most that he’s got to give,” said Middleton. “We didn’t bring him here to put him in the backfield and lead up on linebackers. We expect him to be split out, running those routes that we know he can run and doing those other things that make him such a valuable part of the offense. I’ve been very impressed with him.”

With Jay Gruden becoming the new offensive coordinator and Doug Marrone stressing putting the players on the roster where they can thrive, Middleton’s statements make sense. It also makes sense from the perspective of giving quarterback Gardner Minshew II more weapons to thrive.

However, the key for Eifert will be to remain healthy as he’s missed over 50 regular season games in his career. If there is one positive to make fans believe he can, it’s the fact that he was available for every game last season.

In a league where a solid receiving tight end separates the good offense’s from the bad, the Jags have long needed to find that guy at the position. While Eifert’s history states that fans shouldn’t have the highest expectations, registering 400 to 600 yards and five touchdowns could be a huge help for the Jags’ offense.

Heading forward Eifert’s name will be one to watch in camp as we get closer to the season. If he can get some momentum going within the next couple of weeks that would be huge for the Jags’ offense when considering they already have threats in the run game and the perimeter in Leonard Fournette and D.J. Chark, respectively.

Listen to the latest from Jags Wire’s own James Johnson and Phil Smith on their podcast “Bleav in the Jags.” Subscribe via Apple Podcasts and check out our archived episodes via Bleav Podcasts.

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