The first head coach has been fired this NFL season as the Jets parted ways with Robert Saleh, and an old Falcons friend is replacing him. According to Adam Schefter, New York’s defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich, will be the interim for the rest of the season.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is being named the New York Jets interim head coach, per source. pic.twitter.com/3a6SeI9G2r
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 8, 2024
The Jets are 2-3 with a proven quarterback, who has played better as of late, and a good defense. Saleh wasn’t a good hire; that much was already clear, but this kind of knee jerk reaction is exactly why the Jets are the Jets.
Firing a head coach of a team that is one game under .500 with Aaron Rodgers is the most Jets thing ever. Do they think they can just seamlessly replace Saleh this offseason? Another head coach is going to have to implement their own program, including coaches and schemes. 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers is just going to stick around for that?
The former Falcons position coach has got his hands full. Ironically, Ulbrich was elevated in Atlanta after Dan Quinn was fired. He came to coach the Falcons linebackers in 2015 and was eventually promoted to interim defensive coordinator under interim head coach Raheem Morris in 2020.
Following that season, Robert Saleh hired Ulbrich to coordinate his defense, which he’s done a pretty damn good job of doing. This season, the Jets rank No. 3 in the NFL in total defense and No. 8 in scoring. They are also No. 2 in passing yards allowed and No. 16 in rushing yards allowed.
As the Falcons enjoy the new life Raheem Morris has brought to Atlanta, other franchises are in a pit of despair.
Another interesting intersection of this story is a member of the Falcons 2016 staff is a head coach. Jeff Ulbrich joins Dan Quinn, Raheem Morris, Kyle Shanahan, Mike McDaniel, and Matt LaFleur as head coaches from that special season. Quinn and Ulbrich’s respective situations are a bit different, obviously.
Still, it just goes to show how truly remarkable that season was and could’ve been for the Falcons.
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