Jets officials hope Robert Saleh serves as a CEO type and changes the team's cultureGETTY IMAGES
Jets GM Joe Douglas "nailed his first coaching hire," reaching an agreement with 49ers DC Robert Saleh to be the team's new coach, according to Steve Serby of the N.Y. POST. What the Jets needed, "more than anything, was a leader of men." Saleh is is the "anti-Adam Gase," who can "command a room, and be the football CEO the Jets crave." He will "infuse the entire building with belief and hope." Douglas "wanted and needed a collaborative partner and would not have hired Saleh if he didn’t check that box" (N.Y. POST, 1/15). On Long Island, Al Iannazzone notes Douglas was the "point man in the search" for Gase’s replacement. Jets CEO Christopher Johnson and President Hymie Elhai "were involved," but Douglas "led the quest." Johnson said the Jets were "looking for a 'CEO' type of coach" -- someone who "could manage the overall team, a good leader and communicator who would change the culture." Saleh "checked a lot of those boxes" (NEWSDAY, 1/15).
LEADERSHIP QUALITIES: On Long Island, Bob Glauber writes Saleh is the "right man at the right time" for a team that is "desperate for leadership, stability and, most of all, progress after years of losing." He has a "self-assuredness and charisma that undoubtedly appealed" to Johnson and Douglas (NEWSDAY, 1/15). NFL Network’s Kay Adams said “New Yorkers, the publications, the bloggers, the tweets, the fans, all seem pretty excited and enthusiastic about this hire in Robert Saleh.” NFL Network’s Peter Schrager said the Jets ownership and front office “felt like this was a connection that could be leadership for the Jets for the future.” Schrager said Douglas “deserves a lot of credit here” (“Good Morning Football,” NFL Network, 1/15). In N.Y., Pat Leonard writes Saleh has a "strong personality and commands respect from his players." That was his reputation with the 49ers, and that is what the Jets "believe they are getting above all: A new leader" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/15).
JUST WHAT THEY NEEDED: SNY's Ralph Vacchiano writes Saleh is the "big jolt of energy that the Jets have needed for years." He "can coach, too," which is the "most important part." The "ability to 'rally men' is big for the Jets." It is "another way of saying Saleh can inspire players to follow him." Vacchiano: "When’s the last time they had a coach who could do that?" He is "everything Gase wasn’t." He is "a lot of things" former coach Todd Bowles "wasn’t either." He "won’t be a monotone voice of the franchise or someone who looks disengaged on the sideline" (SNY.tv, 1/15). ESPN’s Rich Cimini said the Jets were "looking for more of an overseer who could coach the team, who could coach the coaches, a leader, a dynamic personality who could change the culture because let's face it, the Jets have been a losing team. They haven't been to the playoffs in a decade. There’s a losing culture, they need a forceful personality who can come in and galvanize the organization” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 1/14). In N.Y., Mark Cannizzaro writes Saleh is "everything you wanted for your latest head coach." He "seems different than the last two Jets head coaches." He is a 41-year-old "bundle of energy and intensity." Saleh is "everything Jets fans want, the perfect coach to excite a disillusioned fan base that’s been waiting a decade since seeing its last playoff team." And he is "everything the Jets locker room is going to want, a head coach who’ll energize it after a miserable 2-14 season" (N.Y. POST, 1/15).
ADDED DIVERSITY: In N.Y., Gillian Brassil notes Saleh is "believed to be the first Muslim Arab American head coach of an NFL team." He is the "fourth coach of color slated to lead an NFL team" in '21, with five openings still to be filled. At the beginning of '20, the league had four head coaches who "identified as nonwhite." Saleh’s hiring came several months after the league "updated the Rooney Rule, which aims to increase diversity in candidacies for head coaching jobs and certain front office roles" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/15).
