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Robert Saleh clearly had a message to deliver Sunday night, first to his team then to the media. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ll see these guys again,\u201d Saleh slipped in during an answer in his press conference after the 20-12 loss to the Bills. <\/p>\n
The Jets coach is a skilled chess player and he showed once again that he was thinking a few moves ahead with this comment. He immediately changed the subject from the mistakes the Jets made to lose the game, took the negativity out of the locker room and told his players he believes in them, even after two losses. <\/p>\n
It was the latest shrewd move from Saleh, who has proven this season he is the right man for the job. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we met with Robert, I was struck by his presence,\u201d Jets chairman Christopher Johnson said at the time of Saleh’s hiring in January 2021. <\/p>\n
That presence has helped transform a moribund franchise into one that is fighting for a playoff spot with four games left. Now, the turnaround has not all been about Saleh’s slogans and energy. Better players have helped immensely. But you also can’t overlook how well Saleh has navigated this season and steered the Jets through choppy waters to this point. <\/p>\n
Sunday’s playoff promise was the latest example of Saleh turning a negative into a positive. <\/p>\n
The biggest moment of the 2022 season, of course, came when Saleh decided to bench Zach Wilson for Mike White just before Thanksgiving. It may have looked like an easy decision to make from the outside after Wilson’s terrible performance on the field in New England and behind the microphone after the game, but benching the No. 2-overall pick 20 games into his career is a monumental decision for a head coach. <\/p>\nRobert Saleh has handled all the adversity this season has thrown at him and the Jets with aplomb. <\/figcaption>Charles Wenzelberg\/New York Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSaleh was wise enough to recognize he had to make the move for a team that is good enough to not just make the playoffs, but win in them. He saw that Wilson’s postgame comments could cause his team to split at the seams. He acted quickly and decisively and managed not to embarrass Wilson in the process despite busting him down to the third team and inactive status. <\/p>\n
People inside the Jets were blown away with how Saleh handled what could have been a week that saw the train come off the tracks. If the Jets do make the playoffs, Saleh’s decision to make White the starter will be seen as the definitive moment of the season. <\/p>\n