New York Jets Interim Head Coach Has Failed Miserably in Two Key Areas

The New York Jets have struggled mightily in these two areas since their interim head coach, Jeff Ulbrich, took over.

Dec 29, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Jets head coach Jeff Ulbrich calls a play in the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Not a lot has gone right for the New York Jets during the 2024 season, as they have been one of the worst teams in the NFL.

After a 2-3 start, ownership decided to fire head coach Robert Saleh.

There was plenty of reason to make a change, as the team had found limited success with him leading the way. But, the timing felt off, and it has proven to be the wrong decision as the Jets have actually gotten much worse without him.

In his place, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was named interim head coach.

Given how well the team had performed on that side of the ball, it seemed as if the team had a solid floor to work with. Many people felt their defense was championship-caliber coming into the year.

Evidently, Saleh was a major reason for that, as the Jets’ defense has fallen apart since he left the franchise.

Since Week 6, the first game under Ulbrich, they have had arguably the worst defense in the NFL. Tackling has been an issue and creating pressure consistently on the opposing quarterback has been a struggle.

A lot has contributed to the team being 4-12 heading into the finale against the Miami Dolphins. But, the most embarrassing facet of the game, which can be directed straight at coaching, is the lack of preparedness.

Every week, New York seems to not be up to the level necessary to compete.

The lack of discipline has been alarming, as self-inflicted wounds make their shortcomings even that much tougher to overcome.

Game planning under Ulbrich has been a disaster, which is one of the biggest takeaways from this week’s throttling at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. In a 40-14 blowout loss, with their only two scores coming with Tyrod Taylor leading the offense, those shortcomings popped up once again, as noted by Rich Cimini of ESPN.

He wrote that the Jets now lead the lead in 131 accepted penalties after committed 16 for 120 yards against the Bills. It was the Jets' most accepted penalties in a game since 2018.

“Jeff Ulbrich has done a poor job in many areas, none more glaring than the lack of discipline,” wrote Cimini.

Any chance Ulbrich had at earning this job full-time has gone out the window. At this point, it could be tough for him to land even a coordinator job again given how poorly things have gone under his watch.

He was dealt a tough hand, but the season was very much still alive when he took over for Saleh. Unable to create any positive momentum, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for him.