Is Robert Saleh Responsible for Bad Jets Defense?

The New York Jets have the worst defense in football. Some blame defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, but this former scout says head coach Robert Saleh is at fault

At 3-11, everyone is looking for someone to blame on the New York Jets.

The defense has been dismal, but the Jets’ defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich does not shoulder all of the blame.

Sure, Ulbrich is the easy target, but we need to remember head coach Robert Saleh’s background before coming to New York.

Saleh was the defensive coordinator of the 49ers from 2017-2020. That is where and how Saleh made a name for himself in 2019 running San Francisco’s eighth ranked defense.

Make no mistake, Saleh is touching everything that is going on with the New York Jets defense. Everything is crossing his desk. Saleh is signing off every game plan and he is in the coaching staff meetings. While Ulbrich is the easy scapegoat and built-in “fall-guy,” Saleh plays a huge role in the demise of the Jets defense.

Heck, Saleh hired Ulbrich, an old friend from their days coaching days together back in Seattle.

If anyone is going to be scrutinized about New York’s defense, it should be Saleh and he should be answering questions about the defensive scheme the Jets have run this season.

READ: Jets' Rush Defense Hits Rock Bottom Against Dolphins

It makes absolutely no sense to think what schematically worked in San Francisco with superior talent in that 2019 season, would work for a far less talented defensive roster with the Jets.

This is one of the biggest mistakes coordinators turned new coaches make when they leave a successful experience and “get promoted,” to a struggling organization.

It does not translate because the personnel is different and often dramatically worse.

The Jets do not have the 49ers’ pass rush, Nick Bosa (who seems to be the catalyst of San Francisco’s success in 2019 as a rookie logging nine sacks and turning in the fourth most hurries that season with 60) and the ability to generate a team average of 3.2 sacks per game (ranked 3rd), as they did back then.

New York has a 17th league ranking in sacks per game, averaging 2.2 in 2021.

READ: Ex-Jets Scout Warns New York Not to Draft Chris Olave

Much of San Francisco’s success (and Saleh’s) had to do with the pressure they were able to get on the quarterback. It is not the same in New York. The Jets are not generating the same heat on the quarterback, which is why Saleh’s defensive philosophy is not seeing success.

The Jets also do not have the same players in their secondary the 49ers had either in 2019, who ranked No. 1 in the NFL. 

New York has the 27th ranked pass defense in 2021 that is giving up an average of 249.9 yards per game.

This is a different team with a different talent level.

Saleh has been credited with being flexible going from being a “cover 3” coordinator, to playing a lot more “cover 1,” in his final season as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator in 2020, but he has not been able to help the Jets find the answer. Saleh has not been able to adjust in New York like he was said to in his last season in San Francisco when the 49ers went 6-10.

Maybe part of the problem is the insistence by New York to play any of the league’s traditional defensive fronts or coverages? Saleh and Ulbrich have continued to use the well-worn defensive looks, which are obviously not meshing with the Jets’ talent level.

Another part of the problem could be that Saleh was overrated?

During Saleh’s time in San Francisco his defenses ranked:

• 2017: 25th

• 2018: 28th

• 2019: 8th

• 2020: 17th (Bosa was out most of the season with a torn ACL).

Yes, Ulbrich plays a role in coaching the league’s worst defense, but he is not the problem. Saleh is absolutely not off the hook as he is overseeing this mess.

In fact, Saleh has a lot more to do with it than anyone in the national media is giving him credit for.

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