The New York Jets became the first team to fire their head coach this season.
That’s not what one would expect from a Super Bowl-hopeful team, as bad as things looked with Robert Saleh there.
However, that wasn’t much of a surprise to Stephen A. Smith.
Talking on First Take, the controversial pundit claimed that this was a long time coming, blaming Saleh for losing the team and not being able to get a hold of the offense.
Our crew reacts to the Jets firing Robert Saleh 😳@stephenasmith | @ShannonSharpe | @Foxworth24 | @MollyQerim pic.twitter.com/9WBxdMT4mb
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 8, 2024
Nonetheless, Shannon Sharpe and Domonique Foxworth begged to differ.
Foxworth claimed that even though he didn’t think Saleh was doing a good job, he didn’t see anything on the field that suggested that the Jets would be a better team without him, at least at this point in the season.
Sharpe, on the other hand, put the blame on Aaron Rodgers.
He claimed that Rodgers undermined Saleh’s authority when he decided to skip the mandatory training camp, as the players couldn’t see Saleh as their leader and an authority figure anymore after allowing that to happen.
Perhaps all of those things are true.
One thing is undeniable, and it’s that the Jets are officially in desperation mode and believe this was the only way to salvage their season.
While Saleh — a great defensive coordinator — didn’t do anything to make people think that he was the guy they needed as their head coach, he’s not the only one responsible for this disappointing start to the season, nor is he the only coach who should be on the hot seat in Gotham right now.