LONDON — Jets coach Robert Saleh was asked Friday by a British media outlet whether the team is under more pressure than other teams this year due to higher expectations.
“Pressure? In New York?” “It doesn’t matter if you’re an expansion team, you still have to win,” Saleh joked.
“I look forward to victory. If they win, they advance to the Super Bowl. If you lose, fire everyone. That’s the world we live in, that’s the world we embrace. We connect each week to a new week. There is extreme pressure every week, but we are built for it.”
The Jets were battered by fans and media in the week following their devastating loss to the Broncos.
Saleh addressed this in a comment here: “Fire everyone.”
It will be interesting to see if the Jets come out against the tight-looking Vikings.
It’s certainly been a tense week around the Jets.
The Broncos sacked Aaron Rodgers five times and hit him 14 times.
I think it’s an offensive line issue.
But when asked about how to protect Rodgers, Saleh cited the team’s need for more explosive plays.
“We will always do our best to protect him, guard the extra man, run the football, get the ball in his hands and get it out as quickly as possible,” Saleh said. But realistically, to win this league you have to be able to generate explosives and pick and choose your battles as it is an explosive league. But I think Aaron will be a lot better this week, and so will the O-line.”
The Jets had just two plays for 30 or more yards through their first four games.
They are one of five teams with no passing plays longer than 40 yards.
Saleh’s comments indicate that this is what they have been talking about this week.
Most of the attention this week has been on another Jets draft pick who has been playing well for the Vikings, but Blake Cashman leads Minnesota in tackles.
The Jets’ 2019 fifth-round pick has blossomed since the team traded him to the Texans in 2022.
Minnesota signed him as a free agent in the offseason, and Cashman is one of the leaders of a strong Vikings defense.
So, for the Jets, Sam Darnold will lead the Vikings’ offense while Cashman will be on the defensive end.
