New York Jets criticized by former NFL GM over current state of team, firing Robert Saleh

The New York Jets shocked the football world when it was announced earlier this week that head coach Robert Saleh had been fired.

The team had lost two consecutive games, in rather embarrassing fashion, to the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings. These losses followed back-to-back wins and solid outings for the team after a brutal Week 1.

Apparently, this was a move that no one predicted. There were no rumors of his job being on the line despite some truly abysmal records and numbers during his 3+ seasons with the franchise.

Ultimately, Saleh failed to create a successful offensive game plan. Zach Wilson was a disaster at quarterback as the main reason people point to, but there were problems beyond him.

This year, they have a healthy Aaron Rodgers and things still aren’t going well. The running game has been a mess and there is a lack of chemistry with their receivers.

As former NFL general manager Mike Lombardi detailed during an appearance on Pat McAfee Showsomething has to change on that side of the ball.

“The Jets need to expand their offense and be more creative.

They need to have someone in that building that says this is how we’re going to fix our run game,” Lombardi said.

Saleh certainly deserves close scrutiny for the work he has done. The team went 20-36 under his command, suffering as many double-digit losses as wins.

In short, he wasn’t getting the job done.

But, as Lombardi also detailed during his McAfee Program On the surface, the decision to fire Saleh speaks to deficiencies in the franchise. He cited a lack of organizational awareness and owner Woody Johnson’s inability to build things the right way, as the coach was far from the biggest problem.

In a graphic shared during the show, since taking over the team in 2000, Johnson oversees a team with a .434 winning percentage, which is 26th in the league, with just one division title and six playoff wins, which is tied for the 10th smallest.

His points per game of 19.3 and passing yards of 197 are both 31st in the league.

It’s easy to blame the team’s recent struggles on the head coach, and in some ways, that was certainly justified. But things won’t get better with the franchise until ownership starts figuring things out.