Jets head coach Robert Saleh short on praise for Sam Darnold's hot start

New York traded Darnold to Carolina three months after hiring Saleh as head coach.

Sep 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh looks on from the sidelines against the Denver Broncos during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

New York Jets coach Robert Saleh has an interesting way of complementing the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Month.

Speaking to media ahead of Sunday's showdown against former Jets quarterback Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings, Saleh wasn't exactly giving a lot of credit to Darnold when talking about the Vikings QB's hot start.

"He's doing a good job, you know, and he's made a lot of plays and they've taken a lot of advantage of some advantageous situations they are in, but he's been he's been doing a really nice job," Saleh said Wednesday.

For those keeping track at home, that was a 38-word response that lasted a whopping 13 seconds when talking about a quarterback who has thrown for 932 yards, a league-leading 11 touchdowns and just three interceptions during the Vikings' 4-0 start.

For contrast, when Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell was asked about Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers this week, he spoke for over a minute, in a 226-word response about the future Hall of Fame quarterback his club is tasked with trying to defend Sunday in London.

Darnold and Saleh's time in New York overlapped briefly. Saleh was hired in January 2022, after the Jets finished 2-14. Darnold was traded to Carolina less than three months later, with the Jets selecting Zach Wilson in that year's draft.

Saleh briefly added more to his comments early Friday when he said "Sam Darnold's playing fantastic football."

As if there wasn't enough motivation for Darnold on Sunday in a revenge game against the Jets, Saleh's succinct commentary and status as the man who was leading New York when the Jets punted Darnold to Carolina might be the ultimate motivation for Darnold when the ball is kicked into the air at 8:30 a.m. CT Sunday.