FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Sauce Gardner usually sits subsequent to Quinnen Williams at workforce conferences on Wednesdays (or Thursdays earlier than a Monday night time sport). When Jeff Ulbrich would come into the room, he’d dap up Gardner, and Williams, and the opposite gamers sitting by them, then he’d discover a spot to take a seat down on the steps subsequent to them.
On Thursday, Ulbrich dapped up Gardner and Williams once more. Solely this time he didn’t sit down on the steps; as an alternative he descended down them to the entrance of the room and stood earlier than the whole roster and training workers.
He addressed the New York Jets as its head coach. Once they went out onto the apply subject and stretched earlier than apply, Ulbrich went round and shook each participant’s hand. For some, like security Tony Adams, he had a particular handshake. Ulbrich’s objective is to get to know the workforce’s offensive gamers simply as nicely now that he’s overseeing the whole operation.
“We have been joking with him a little bit bit,” Gardner stated. “We have been like: You’re coming in performing completely different, simply trolling him. However he’s the identical individual … He’s not exhibiting any indicators of change, of performing completely different. He’s exhibiting the love he has for the sport, the love he has for the gamers. I used to be simply speaking to him immediately earlier than apply and I used to be telling him: The best way you’ve been taking this on, you’re inspiring me. You’re motivating me.”
Coach Ulbrich on how concerned he’ll be within the offense on Monday: pic.twitter.com/xiVjRgYNPv
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 10, 2024
When the workforce huddled up earlier than the official begin of apply, it was damaged by a rely of three, and everybody shouting in unison: “Work!”.
Close to the tip of a wild week, when Robert Saleh was fired and Nathaniel Hackett was demoted, Ulbrich wished it to simply be one other day. One other day of labor. The season doesn’t cease as a result of they’ve been via quite a bit — there are nonetheless 12 video games to go, beginning Monday night time in opposition to the Buffalo Payments. So now the Jets flip the web page with a brand new coach and, they hope, a renewed vitality and function to show issues round after a 2-3 begin and back-to-back losses.
“We’re shifting on to the Payments,” Ulbrich stated. “It’s time. It’s time we get this factor going, begin enjoying the model of soccer we all know we’re able to, so the whole thing of our focus is now on the Buffalo Payments.”
GO DEEPER
Robert Saleh fired: Why New York Jets proprietor Woody Johnson made the transfer now
The phrase of the day was “work.” The phrase of the week: “Accountability.” Ulbrich preached the necessity for extra accountability, amongst coaches and gamers, each in his preliminary press convention on Tuesday and once more on Thursday. Aaron Rodgers stated it on “The Pat McAfee Present” on Wednesday and once more within the locker room on Thursday. Identical for cornerback Sauce Gardner, and huge receiver Garrett Wilson, and others that spoke earlier within the week after Saleh’s firing. Linebacker Quincy Williams was the one who began that dialog with some fiery postgame feedback in London after the loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
The accountability began when Saleh was fired, an eye-opening transfer for proprietor Woody Johnson to make simply 5 video games right into a season the place the Jets are a win away from first place within the AFC East, and for a workforce that could be a Rodgers pick-six and a Greg Zuerlein 50-yard subject objective away from being 3-2, and even 4-1.
However the Jets continued to have the identical points relationship again to final season — gradual begins, penalties, drops, turnovers and questionable decision-making — and so Johnson wished to make a change, from Saleh to Ulbrich, to gentle a fireplace underneath a workforce which may want it. That didn’t make it any simpler to abdomen. Broad receiver Garrett Wilson stated he was shocked by the choice. Gardner was nonetheless reeling from it on Thursday.
GO DEEPER
How Jeff Ulbrich’s Senior Bowl teaching expertise advantages him and the Jets
“The fact is, we’re 2-3, every thing continues to be in entrance of us,” Gardner stated. “So I used to be actually shocked. Coach Saleh and I have been actually extraordinarily shut for the reason that day the Jets drafted me (in 2022). To be trustworthy, he modified my life … So I used to be shocked as a result of the issues that occurred — penalties, the offense not doing good, the protection not doing good, particular groups not doing good — from the skin wanting in, individuals can say it’s his fault however we’re grown males that receives a commission tens of millions of {dollars}. We must always be capable of be held accountable. We must always be capable of appropriate ourselves and the errors that we make. It threw me off … I nonetheless can’t imagine it. I got here in immediately and it was simply bizarre.”
Accountability.
On Thursday, Ulbrich introduced the unsurprising resolution to strip play-calling and game-planning duties from offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and provides them to passing sport coordinator Todd Downing. Hackett will preserve the identical title, but it surely’s unclear precisely what kind of function he’ll have now, outdoors of providing help to Rodgers and Downing. At the beginning of Thursday’s apply, he was catching warm-up balls from Rodgers as Downing stood subsequent to the quarterback.
Rodgers stated when he joined the Jets final 12 months that Hackett was one of many essential causes. They’re shut mates, however the dynamic that they had in Inexperienced Bay wasn’t working within the type of on-field outcomes this season. The choice to demote Hackett was crucial and comprehensible; since Hackett took over, the Jets rank thirtieth in yards per sport, twenty ninth in scoring, thirtieth in dashing yards per sport, thirty first in third-down conversions and final in red-zone conversions.
Rodgers wouldn’t straight reply a query about whether or not he felt Hackett’s demotion was crucial, however did say he advised Ulbrich he’d again up no matter resolution he made about calling performs. His tone was somber and his voice was quiet. He is aware of that his efficiency the final two weeks — 55 p.c completions, 469 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions — didn’t assist.
“I feel we have to do every thing we will to maximise this chance,” Rodgers stated. “The concept of manifestation includes consideration and intention, after which a phrase that goes together with that’s accountability. We have to be accountable to one another. When one thing like this occurs, it’s a reset for everyone. Whenever you make a change on the offense it’s a mirror that’s held up for all of us who performed, and all of us really feel horrible in regards to the alternative that we had that we squandered that led to Robert getting fired and (Hackett) getting demoted. I play higher, this doesn’t occur. We play higher on offense, this doesn’t occur, so I feel it places a highlight on us, and now it’s on us to do that. We have to be accountable to one another and we’ve bought to boost the extent of our play to the usual that we stated throughout coaching camp.”
Accountability.
“As an offense we’ve gotta exit and do our job to the most effective of our potential, play good soccer, whoever is looking the performs now we have to convey that stuff to life,” Wilson stated. “We met with Coach Downing immediately, he has nice vitality, nice vibes and it’s our job to exit and make the performs look nearly as good as doable. We haven’t been enjoying good, detailed soccer on offense. Everybody has to take accountability.”
Accountability.
That is what Ulbrich desires; it’s been his message within the days since he turned head coach. If the Jets are going to show round their season, it’s going to require gamers, and coaches, being trustworthy about all of the issues which have gone mistaken, and about what they will do to repair them.
They’ve had two days to course of Saleh’s firing, and practices on Thursday, Friday and Saturday to prepare for his or her subsequent sport. A loss to the Payments might be tough to beat if the objective is to in the end make the playoffs (which it’s). Johnson wouldn’t have fired Saleh this week if he didn’t need a fast turnaround.
“There’s an unwavering commonplace,” Ulbrich stated. “That is the expectation and also you’re both assembly it otherwise you’re not. It’s not an emotional factor, so each human on this constructing, that’s gamers and coaches — not simply gamers, gamers and coaches — are going to be held to that commonplace.”
Ulbrich might be studying find out how to be a head coach in the midst of an NFL season, with the strain to snap a 13-year playoff skid on his shoulders. The world doesn’t care that he’s new to this, and neither will Johnson.
Ulbrich is “a person of integrity,” Gardner stated. “The truth that he’s in a position to lead the entire workforce now, everybody goes to purchase in as a result of we would like somebody that’s a pacesetter. Coach Saleh was a pacesetter. He could be an instance. We’re all extraordinarily assured in ‘Coach Brick.’ This was all the time a objective of his (to be a head coach) … sadly the circumstances have been kinda off the best way that it occurred, however on the finish of the day these are the playing cards he was dealt. No one cares about how he turned the top coach.
“Folks need to see us win video games,” Gardner continued. “When now we have quick weeks, individuals don’t care that we’re drained. They need to see us win. If we don’t win, they’re going to search out causes to complain, discover individuals to level fingers at. That’s simply the truth.”
(Prime picture: Luke Hales / Getty Photos)
