The dust has settled, for the most part, after a whirlwind of 48 hours for the New York Jets. It's been a week, that's for sure.
On Tuesday morning, fans were shocked by the firing of now-former head coach Robert Saleh. Through all of the opinions and narratives written, one of the common thoughts was the idea that maybe the Jets fired the wrong person.
After all, Saleh's defense ranks high up in the NFL in many major categories, including allowing the second-fewest yards per game through five weeks. Was he a scapegoat? Was he the wrong scapegoat?
It doesn't matter at this point, because what's done is done. But, the decision most fans had been ultimately wanting was for offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to either make significant changes, be replaced or, if need be, to be fired.
Saleh had yet to make a decision on his offensive coordinator, and by now, it's too late. But, interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich, who was given the new title almost immediately after the news of Saleh's firing, has already made a decision on Hackett's future.
Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich made the decision Robert Saleh couldn't
It has been done. Nathaniel Hackett is no longer the offensive play caller for the Jets. Instead, it will be Todd Downing, who is now in his 20th season in the NFL and comes with 15 years of offensive coaching experience, including being the Titans offensive coordinator for a couple of seasons back in 2021-2022.
Had Saleh been given another week or two, maybe he would have made this decision. But, hindsight is always 20/20 as they say, and it's now Ulbrich at the helm. He did what needed to be done, and Downing takes over an offense that has been downright abysmal.
Through Week 5, the Jets offense ranks as the fifth-worst across the league in yards per game with 286.6. They're in the middle of the pack as the league's 19th-best passing attack, but are dead last in running the ball.
Sure, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was right when he said that he and his teammates need to take some responsibility for the issues thus far and maybe even for Saleh's firing. It was a sobering take from the veteran passer. But, fans have seen it: the playcalling has been atrocious. Rodgers has not been happy. He's wanted changes, and he's now gotten a big one.
For fans wanting a change, it's been made, and there's only one direction to go from here, right? It can't get a whole lot worse than what Hackett has engineered thus far, so Downing has that going for him.
The Downing era begins Monday night against the division rival Buffalo Bills. Let's hope the Jets can turn things around against a defense that's allowed nearly 30 points per game over their last two.
