FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — In what turned out to be his final news conference as head coach of the New York Jets, Robert Saleh told reporters Monday morning, «I'm not panicked.
Nobody in the building is panicked.» He was wrong. Twenty-four hours later, owner Woody Johnson entered the building and informed Saleh he was being terminated after a 2-3 start to the season — the first in-season, head-coaching move in Johnson's 25 years of ownership.
Obvious question: Will this move — stunning and unprecedented — change anything? Will replacing a defensive-minded coach with a defensive-minded interim (defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich) revitalize a team whose greatest failing is the offense?
Embattled offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett wasn't fired with Saleh, according to a team source, but his status remains up in the air.