With the 1 p.m. ET afternoon slate in tow, Mike Francesa didn’t waste much time calling for changes to Florham Park.
Even though the New York Jets are across the pond, they wouldn’t leave Robert Saleh, Nathaniel Hackett, and Co. in London, but that didn’t stop ‘The Sports Pope’ (or Jets fans) from suggesting they should.
After another offensive clunker in which Aaron Rodgers threw three interceptions while hobbled by a balky knee (and ankle sprain), fingers will be pointed. Rodgers isn’t blameless; the soon-to-be 41-year-old looked terribly inaccurate and made some head-scratching decisions, but the team as a whole has been unable to overcome poor coaching, which has marred Saleh’s entire tenure.
That was a point of emphasis on SNY’s postgame coverage, as Connor Rogers took Saleh, Hackett and the usual suspects to task. But Rogers stopped short of blowing the same gasket that a clearly irate Francesa did. The longtime radio host said he wouldn’t have recorded a live reaction on his The Mike Francesa Podcast had the Jets won, but he was so “disillusioned” and “disgusted” with their approach and what he was watching that he had to let loose.
“I’m so disgusted with what I’m watching with this team, and I know they won’t do it, but I would actually consider making a change — a couple of changes this early in the season,” he said following New York’s 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. “And it’s not early because they were 2-1; they lost two games they could’ve won: one they should’ve won, one they easily could’ve won. And now they’re 2-3, as the Bills will come to town after they play Houston…
“If you want to properly build a football team, it makes no sense to change coaches during the season…But I have to tell you, I can’t watch it anymore. It really is that hard to just watch. I mean, week after week, they continue to make the worst mistakes. You know, it didn’t cost them this game, but how do you get a Delay of Game on first down? It just never stops with this team — penalties, bad play-calling.”
Sticking to the theme of lousy play-calling, Francesa didn’t mince words with Saleh or Hackett, for that matter, saying, “You put the offense in the hands of a man who is completely inept. I know that despite his lousy record and despite the fact that he has taken this team right down the shute — you can just see it. But I’m telling you, if I were the owner, Saleh wouldn’t be the coach anymore. In-season, I can’t look at it anymore. I just can’t watch the same garbage week in and week out.
“I wouldn’t touch the defensive coordinator (Jeff Ulbrich), I wouldn’t touch the staff, but I would get rid of Saleh because he’s not a head coach anyway. If he wants to take a demotion to defensive coordinator, he can stay. He can’t be the head coach. He can’t run the team, because there has to be a new order for this team, there has to be accountability for this team. And I would immediately fire the offensive coordinator — immediately. Goodbye! Enough already. I don’t care what Rodgers says. ‘Oh, really? You like throwing three interceptions? Do you like getting hit on every play-action fake? You like the fact that your career isn’t going to look like the same career if you keep this guy. You’re out. I’m making the decision, you’re not.'”
But in order for that to happen, Woody Johnson would actually have to be willing to make some in-season coaching staff changes. And Francesa doesn’t believe that the owner of the New York Jets is capable of making such a decision, let alone being capable at all.
“It is not going to get better. They won’t change anything because Woody’s not smart enough — he’s just not. From a football standpoint, he is not smart enough or bold enough. You’d have to be an owner who has a clue, and he doesn’t. And that organization doesn’t know how to do anything right.”
Amen.
