Struggling Jets turf head coach Robert Saleh 5 games into season

The New York Jets have fired head coach Robert Saleh after the team's 2-3 start in his fourth season.

Saleh was 20-36 as coach of the Jets, who are trying to snap the NFL's longest active playoff drought at 13 seasons.

"This was not an easy decision but we are not where we should be, given our expectations, and I believe now is the best time for us to move in a different direction," Jets owner Woody Johnson said in a statement released by the team.

Defensive co-ordinator Jeff Ulbrich be serve as the interim coach for the balance of the season, Johnson added.

"He is a tough coach who has the respect of the coaches and players on this team," continued the owner. "I believe he [Ulbrich and the other coaches] can get the most out of our talented team and attain the goals we established this [past] off-season."

It is the first time in Johnson's 25-year tenure that a head coach has been fired in the middle of the season.

The surprising move came a day after Saleh said he was confident Aaron Rodgers and the Jets would be able to turn things around after losing two straight, including falling 23-17 to undefeated Minnesota on Sunday in London. Rodgers had his worst game with New York, throwing three interceptions.

"There's so much football to be played," Saleh said Monday. "There's so many things that we can get better at, and there's so many things that we can continue to build on, the things that we are doing well.

"So, I'm not panicked. Nobody in the building is panicked."

But apparently Johnson had seen enough from Saleh to make a change.

The Jets face the Buffalo Bills (3-2) on Monday night with a chance to share the AFC East lead with a victory. But instead of Saleh, it will be the 47-year-old Ulbrich leading the team on