The End Of Robert Saleh
WHAT A FUN TUESDAY TO WAKE UP TO!
So obviously I made this post in record time. Inspiration can really provide a sense of speed. It helps that I spent the entire day thinking about nothing but Jets drama. I am such a messy bitch who lives for sports drama. I bring this up because since I am writing it the same day that the news broke, there’s a very good chance a number of things mentioned here become outdated pretty quickly. I’m sure every sports journalist with access and some without are trying to uncover the Saleh drama right now. We are going to get a lot of rumors, conflicting reports, and nonsense. As of right now, I do not know why Saleh was fired, nor do I know the extent of the Jets backroom politicing and drama that may have led to this. All we got for now is speculation and jokes.
The very, very obvious and maybe legitimately true joke here is Rodgers won a power struggle. Rodgers is like an infection. He came in, things weren’t going his way, lots of people were calling for Hackett to get fired, the offense was struggling, and something was bound to give. The team shelled out everything to roll in the green carpet for Rodgers and his relationship with Saleh seemed strained. They are committed to the Rodgers experiment, so Saleh became the odd man out. Adios, baldy. You sure did exist. One thing I know I will not do: take Rodgers word on any of it. Whatever Rodgers says is his side of the story can kiss my ass. He has not earned the benefit of our belief. If a later, credible reporter backs up whatever he says, then I’ll believe him. Whatever comes out of his mouth about it in the coming days may as well be shoved in an industrial freezer in the basement.
Another theory is that Woody Johnson, former ambassador to the UK under Trump, was deeply and personally embarrassed in front of his UK buddies by the loss in London. Big sad billionare is sad, wee woo. I don’t honestly know how to take this theory because my gut says that’s a bit silly. If Woody Johnson was embarrassed by the Jets looking bad, he would have sold this team off ages ago. On the other hand, I’ve watched Elon Musk rapidly expose himself as a moron and descend into deep crevasses of pathetic cringe in real-time on Twitter for the past several years so it’s not out of the question that an uber-rich dipshit would be an emotional baby who is sad his toy looked bad against a QB that his own team failed several years ago. But again, if Woody Johnson was embarrassed by the Jets losing…I doubt Saleh even lasts this long.
It might have contributed to how abrupt this particular firing was, though. I can’t say Saleh’s firing is completely out of left field; far from the contrary, you could even argue it was necessary and should have happened last offseason. It’s more the sudden timing. Saleh was already on a scorching seat.
I’ve also seen mentions that Saleh might have been let go partially because he wore a Lebanese flag on his sweatshirt during the game. This is probably a joke theory and should be regarded as such. Only the most terminally online dope would genuinely believe this. Not that I think Woody Johnson doesn’t suck ass as a person, but even he wouldn’t fire his Lebanese head coach for wearing a Lebanese flag on his gear. That’s nonsense.
I’m going to go with the wild theory that…this might be the right move. Sure, they did it in classic Jest fashion. They made a big fat mess, nothing was explained properly, they probably made a scene by escorting him out of the building, all of this is classic Jest. Even when the Jets make smart moves they do so like clowns. But maybe this was ownership realizing that after so many seasons Saleh simply has not delivered a prepared team over and over again. This is probably the final chance for this particular regime. Rodgers is 40. They banked everything on this. The division looks wide open now that the Bills are stumbling. Yet they drop a terrible loss to the Broncos and then a terrible loss to Sam Darnold to sit at 2-3, literally tied with the fucking Dolphins. Nothing about Saleh’s tenure has suggested that he’s going to pull this team around suddenly. So…you know…why not shoot for the moon? Fire the guy who probably should be fired anyway with enough season left to take charge before it gets too late potentially. Lost in the Sauce Gardner is the fact that this might actually be the correct decision. A lot of Jets fans seem to think so.
They promoted DC Jeff Ulbrich in Saleh’s place. If Rodgers was behind this, Hackett seems like the more sensible choice, no? At least Hackett has HC “experience” (lmao). The defense has unequivocally been a success under Saleh and Ulbrich. Maybe Saleh was losing the locker room and Ulbrich seems like a fit. This move probably doesn’t do anything to help the offense outside maybe a moral boost. Of course, Davante Adams is out there and interested…
I don’t know what happens now. The little sideline shove between Rodgers and Saleh looks bad in new contexts. The Hasan Reddick agent leak about the team being in disarray a few weeks back also suddenly looks more interesting. There is so much we don’t know but will likely come to understand. I’m excited.
Elsewhere in the Draw Play Multiverse, Saleh is bobbing up and down in the Atlantic next to Dennis Allen and Joe [yawn~] Joe Philbzzzzzz…
I will point out Woody Johnsons history of being a massive racist. I really wouldn’t put it past him to decide with world events that someone being publicly Lebanese is a fireable offence.
Don’t put it past Woody. Western media is very biased in the coverage of the middle east and particularly Israel, Lebanon and Iran.
For example, Oct 7th 23 was rightly reported as a terrorist attack. However, cellphones and pagers exploding? Israeli intelligence operation.
Well yeah because the October 7 attack indiscriminately targeted civilians while Israel’s operation specifically targeted a method of communication used by Hezbollah terrorists
You know there’s a difference, right?
Then why would he hire him in the first place?
Why was Kaepernick blackballed after he knelt down? Once he stood up politically, even somewhat minor – it could have been the straw to break the camel’s back. I’m not saying that is the case but certainly it is in the realm of possibility.
If the Lebanese flag had anything to do with his firing we will likely never know because to admit it would essentially open the door for a wrongful termination suit based on discrimination. That’s one of the big reasons I think this theory should be disregarded unless genuine evidence comes forward instead of just speculation based on current events
I ignore that one. I mean, Saleh has been wearing that flag all along and he still got 4 years. If it was a problem it would have mattered b4 now.
Aaron Rodgers is your buddy who complains that all his relationships don’t last while failing to recognize what the common denominator is.
Aaron Rodgers is the kind of guy to complain he can’t get chicken fingers at a fancy Italian joint.
He’ll claim it’s because of Big Dining and tell you that you can will the chicken fingers onto the menu through meditation… You should really be doing your own research on these things.
someone once said aaron rodgers is the kinda dude who gets bit in a zombie movie and hides it until it’s too late.
Reminds me of a famous singer. Can’t remember their name, somewhere on the tip of my tongue.
I’ve said this so much. Said famous singer who I will not name reminds me so much of all the dudebros I knew in college, who complained about “how hard it is to find a good woman”. Hey buddy, maybe you’re the problem.
As a Packers fan, I’d like to expand on this based on my experience.
Now that we have officially broken up and had some time, we can see why all our friends hated her (him).
But when it was good, it was damn good.
Not to pour salt on the wound, but since you’re past it, I’ll go in on him. I’m being harsh here, but I’m really making fun of him, more than I am GB. Honest.
For someone routinely called “The Greatest Thrower of the Football Before Patrick Mahomes Showed Up,” I don’t think it was “good” in GB NEARLY as much as it should have been. You had one delightful night of passion, but then he started drinking, and every night you’d get him into bed only for him to poop himself, then puke on the poop, and then pass out. Yea, sure, that ONE NIGHT when he didn’t poop himself was great, but hot damn, you spent a LOT of underwhelming nights cleaning those sheets.
Discount Double Choke delivered you 1 SB Win, 4 NFC Championship losses, 5 Divisional Round Losses, 2 Wild Card Losses… I know it’s hard getting to a Super Bowl, and each game is a team effort crap shoot, blah blah blah, but when your QB is “the greatest thrower of the football,” you need more than 1 SB out of 5 NFC Championship appearances. I’ve said it before, but since Tom Brady created a world where the QB gets 100% of the credit for teams winning Super Bowls, then we need to deal the QB 100% of the blame when teams don’t win Super Bowls. And it’s hard not to think that Kaaron being a punk ass, spoiled brat, overly emotional diva who couldn’t maintain meaningful relationships with anyone outside of his own family – oops, my bad, he couldn’t maintain a meaningful relationship with any of them, either, lol – where was I? Oh yea, it’s REALLY hard not to think that at least a FEW of those Ls could have been Ws if he wasn’t such an a-holish self-absorbed poopstain who constantly thinks he’s the SMARTEST guy in the room while talking like the DUMBEST.
The Giants have one of the worst records since 2015, and I would HAPPILY take their last decade of incompetence over having to deal with a complete asshat at QB who thinks he’s a genius while looking like a complete dumbass, and seems incapable of doing anything meaningful beyond guiding a team to choke in the playoffs year after year. F@#%@ Aaron Fraudgers and the horse that brung him. The best 2 moments the Packers have had in the last 30 years were when you got tired of the drama and shipped off those whining crybabies to the NYJ. Anyway, I feel genuinely happy that you guys got tired of the shtick and moved on, and I’m genuinely hoping you don’t get a Threepeat with JLo.
Let’s add in the fact that the organization generally bent over backwards to get him what he wanted. We can argue about whether or not Rodgers made his receivers, but with names like Davante Adams, Jordy Nelson, Donald Driver, etc, you can’t say he hasn’t had talent. Add in a consistently-great offensive line and some good running backs, and the answer is…..why hasn’t he done more? You pay for dinner. You pay for the movie. You pay for valet. You bring flowers….why is he still shitting himself and puking on said shit? Why is he still blaming everybody else? No SB-winning team is perfect. On paper, last year’s 49ers were a MUCH more complete team than the Chiefs, but at some point you just have to nut up and get the job done. Rodgers always gives me the impression that he expects things to be easy, when that’s just not the way the sport works. I’m so happy as a Vikings fan to watch his career end the way it is.
I can’t tell if the double jest typo is intentional or not
Neither can I, but it works either way.
J-E-S-T is a very common way to spell it, even among their fanbase, because it fits so well with many of their decisions.
Woody Johnson was ambassador to the UK under Trump who was infamous for placing cronies into his administration. Yes it’s guilt by association but you’d be forgiven to think that Johnson like Trump is also bigoted.
It’s the old adage, ‘If a person sits down to dinner with 9 nazis, then there are 10 nazis eating dinner together.”
It’s not exactly a wild leap to assume that the inner circle of an open and unapologetic bigot is likely to be bigoted as well, even if they aren’t as loud about it.
I have zero doubt Woody Johnson is a bigot but I don’t necessarily think that’s why he fired Saleh
Why is it so far-fetched? NYJ staff mostly agree Saleh has over performed given the talent and injuries. Woody was not part of the hiring process.
It is more likely Woody is a homer Jets fan that doesn’t want to believe Rodgers is not the savior but it is reasonable to presume there could be a more damning rational.
The astonishment and hilarity here in the UK of having a US Ambassador whose name literally means Erect Penis cannot be overstated.
Don’t know if you know this, but there was also a great pitcher (baseball, different sport) named Randy Johnson. And the basketball player Magic Johnson.
You can tell I don’t follow baseball, because as soon as you say “Randy Johnson”, the first thing I think of is Koo Dae-sung. https://youtu.be/_f6owc3O_gY
I, too, do not follow baseball. I only know Randy Johnson because he shares my name, and I’m always on the lookout for other Randys. Also, mad props for spreading the holy gospel of Jon Bois.
Miagic Johnson? Yeah it probably was, that would explain a lot
beware the ides of October
haslam next, let’s fix Cleveland once and for all
Robert “Flex Luthor” Saleh will return, with a vengeance. Just probably not to a head coaching gig right away
Come back to San Francisco, Robert. You know you want to.
Hey Dave, I am commenting here for the first time.
Anyway, I would say that there is a 0% chance Saleh was fired for the Lebanese flag. Even if Johnson is a racist, the league would absolutely interne if that was the case. And also, a scary amount of people genuinely believe this, even some Twitter moots.
If I’m being real, Rodgers should have taken this team to a deep playoff run AT LEAST. Saleh did his part by building a talented young defense that can win championships. Aaron has not done his part. The fact that he had to bring in his own WRs (who were always kind of mid) says it all. However, I feel like good HCs should be able to manage that kind of system. Maybe Saleh is just one of those people who is a better coordinator than a head coach? There’s plenty of them throughout the years: Mike Zimmer, Dan Quinn, Norv Turner, Wade Phillips, Romeo Crennel, Vic Fangio, etc. It just stinks to see a guy make chicken salad and then have the organization buy into one of the few QBs who should just be able to turn on the engine, only for it to backfire.
I really like Saleh, and I won’t be surprised if he gets another shot somewhere down the line, hopefully with a better-managed situation than this.