While evaluating two teams he knows very well, the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills, in the lead-up to Monday Night Football, ex-New England Patriots head coach-turned-analyst Bill Belichick laid out a pretty big assertion: the Jets were premature in their firing of Robert Saleh.
A hot take? Eh, maybe so – he is in the media now – but one based on both statistical progress and his own evaluation of the situation, even if owner Woody Johnson clearly feels another way.
“It’s certainly tough. Particularly that situation. You know, it's one of the best defensive teams in the league. Robert made them that way. They were 32nd his first year, and they've been consistently in the top five, top three in most categories. So he's done a great job on that side of the ball. And then they've had some issues at quarterback, and now Aaron's back, but out of football for a year,” Belichick said on Let's Go! via Rich Cimini.
“Just seemed like a little early to pull the trigger on that one to me. But not out of character for the owner. Woody's always been kind of hard to predict what he's gonna do. Some of it just is hard to make sense out of, but I think Saleh did a good job there. He brought a strong culture to the defense and obviously not quite there yet, but a long way to go in the season, seemed like a premature move.”
Was the timing of Saleh's firing unusual? Yes, very much so, in fact, but with a Monday Night Football battle against the Jets on the books, fans will get to see if Jeff Ulbrich is able to do more with his collection of players or if the issues will continue to persist heading into the future. On one hand, Ulbrich has never coached higher than the defensive coordinator level, but then again, if Saleh's voice had grown ineffective in the locker room, maybe Johnson felt a need to make a move whether Belichick liked it or not.
Bill Belichick is right about the Jets' defensive strides
So, is Belichick's assertion about Saleh turning the Jets' defense around correct?
In a word, yes, the Jets really did go from ranking 32nd in both yards and points allowed on defense during his first season with the team to top-6 in almost every category from 2022-24. Factor in the Jets' current status as the best-passing defense in the NFL, and the decision to pull the plug on Saleh in what might just be Aaron Rodgers' last season could come back to bite them immensely.
Technically, all the pieces are still in place for the Jets to shine defensively, but will they? Does Ulbrich have the same instincts as a playcaller and head coach? Based on their first-half efforts against the Bills in Week 6, it's safe to say the jury is still very much out.