Time With New York Jets Left Coach Robert Saleh Joking About Needing 'Therapy'
After he was fired by the New York Jets last season, Robert Saleh went through the steps people sometimes take when their best plans and expectations go awry.
He was:
Stunned: It's surprising this happened to me.
Questioning: How could this happen to me?
Healed (sort of): This shouldn't have happened to me.
ROBERT SALEH LEBANON FLAG
Time In Green Bay Therapeutic For Saleh
But that last part took some doing. It required Saleh taking on a role offered to him by Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur as a consultant -- giving the Packers a fresh perspective on how opposing defenses might view their offense or could be attacked.
Well, the assignment served to also give Saleh a fresh perspective, which he needed.
"Yeah, you know I joke with Matt, I think it was more therapy for me than I was a help for him," Saleh, now the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, told reporters on Thursday.
"But it was just trying to give him a defensive perspective regarding, looking from an offensive standpoint, watching the defense. Giving them thoughts on rules and what may or may not work. But I'm, again, forever grateful to Matty for opening the door to his building and allowing me the opportunity to work there just because of the, well, from a mental space.
"It was, like I said, more therapeutic than anything for me."
Salah, 46, exited the Jets definitely needing therapy.
Aside from the fact he left with a 20-36 record five games into his fourth season, the New York experience was something of a disaster for Saleh.
Robert Saleh says that Zach Wilson will be a New York Jet in 2023.
Jets Were One Problem After Another
The Zach Wilson pick with the No. 2 overall selection of the 2021 draft turned out to be a bust. Wilson, neither ready to play nor live in the New York spotlight, failed to perform and then began to lose confidence even as coaches lost confidence in him.
Near the end of the 2023 season, after Saleh had benched Wilson but wanted to insert him back into the lineup, Wilson initially declined to start again. He was concerned about his ability to stay healthy so he could go into the offseason as a marketable backup elsewhere.
(Yes, Wilson eventually played despite his concerns).
There was also that meeting Saleh had with much of the team's football staff asking that leaks to the media cease immediately. The fact that the meeting happened and details about its contents were immediately leaked to the media.
There was the Aaron Rodgers experience that included the quarterback playing only four snaps in the 2023 season before rupturing an achilles.
Woody Johnson Wanted To Do Better
Ultimately, owner Woody Johnson fired Saleh five games into last season, saying, "we are not where we should be given our expectations."
The Jets were 2-3 at the time. They finished the season 5-12.
There was more dumb stuff, but the internet can bear only so much recounting of losing football decisions and plays.
Well, one more: Remember the 99-yard interception return for a touchdown on a Tim Boyle Hail Mary pass during the NFL's initial Black Friday game? The Hell Mary, some smart aleck writer called it.
The whole experience might have left Saleh a bit scarred.
Saleh Learned ‘A Lot’ From Jets Experience
But, given distance from the failed experience, Saleh now believes he's better because he's learned lessons.
"You learn a lot," he said. "I’ve said it before, there is no handbook for a first-time head coach," Saleh said. "There's no handbook for your first time going through life, right? You learn a lot through the process. You figure out a lot about yourself. You understand and pick up, if you look inward and you look in the mirror you can identify some of the things that you did wrong and some of the things that you'd like to do differently.
"But yeah, there's, anytime you get an experience that's different than the ones you've always experienced, you have an opportunity to grow. And so, there's been a lot of self-reflection and growth in that regard."
There was no doubt for Saleh that he wanted to return to his former team. Returning to the 49ers is like going home.
Nick Bosa and the 49ers have already beaten Geno Smith and the Seahawks twice this season. Can they make it three in the NFC Wild Card? (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
Saleh Coaching 49ers Defense Again
And now, in talking about the 49ers, one cannot help but believe Saleh is drawing contrasts to the Jets.
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for this organization," Saleh said. "Obviously, starting at the top with [CEO] Jed [York], he's phenomenal. [Coach] Kyle [Shanahan], his family, [president of football operations/general manager] John [Lynch], [president of 49ers enterprises and EVP of football operations] Paraag [Marathe], they gave me so much.
"And during the first two years, if you think about those first two years as D-Coordinator in ‘17 and ‘18, it wasn't easy. And it could have been very easy for them to move on from me. And so, I'm indebted to this organization, to those men for the rest of my life.
"They stuck with me, and we made it happen. We did what we needed to do, and the rest is history. I'm excited about the opportunity to get the chance to do it again with them."
Looks like the therapy in Green Bay worked.