Robert Saleh’s defense must help Jets ‘Take Flight’ with Zach Wilson down

As the Jets wait on Zach Wilson, wait for his knee to heal, wait for that second-year leap that will inevitably encounter hurdles along the way, even greater immediate expectations should rest on Robert Saleh’s defense. 

And here’s why: 

In the shadow of empowering his franchise quarterback with upgraded Protectors and Playmakers, GM Joe Douglas has methodically bolstered Gang Green on every level, both with rookies champing at the bit to unleash the strain and violence that Saleh demands in each defender’s DNA and experienced vets, several of whom know exactly what a winning culture should look and feel like. 

While it is absolutely true the Jets can’t soar to rarefied heights unless Wilson plays like the second-overall pick of the draft, they will have no chance to even begin to Take Flight if the defense is 32nd in points and yards allowed again, and the run defense is gashed in no small part thanks to horrific tackling, and the young franchise quarterback is forced to play catch-up and revert to hero-ball follies. 

The message to Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and Gang Green: No more losing games. 

How about winning some games? 

Douglas inherited defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who should be a breakout star in his fourth season — and with Carl Lawson back from his Achilles — perhaps a double-digit sacker. Veteran DE Vinny Curry (Eagles) and DT Solomon Thomas (49ers) add a winning pedigree and rookie lions, such as DE Jermaine Johnson and DE Micheal Clemons, joining beastly DT John Franklin-Myers as wave after wave of defensive line relentlessness washes ashore. 

Middle linebacker C.J. Mosley is the trusted quarterback and brains of the operation, and OLB Kwon Alexander (49ers) offers quality depth behind emerging OLB Quincy Williams. 

The secondary has undergone the biggest makeover. Strong safety Jordan Whitehead (Bucs) was a free-agency steal, wily free safety Lamarcus Joyner (triceps) returns from a lost season and 5-foot-9 cornerback D.J. Reed would have problems with Megatron, but so did everyone else. And have you heard about this trash-talking kid they call Sauce, Mr. Ahmad Gardner, fourth-overall pick of the draft? 

And oh by the way, have you heard that Saleh was revered as 49ers defensive coordinator? 

This is the second year in Saleh’s system. He has better players. 

Make All Gas and No Brake mean something. 

Elite 49ers MLB Fred Warner hasn’t wavered in his belief in Saleh. 

“Success sometimes takes a little bit,” Warner told me at the end of the 2021 season. “Some people expect somebody to come in and just flip the entire franchise around in one day. That happens very rarely. He’s made up of the right stuff. He’s put people around him, and will continue to put people around him to be successful, and people who align with what he believes the Jets should look like. I have full confidence in who he is as a coach, as a person, and I know good things are to come for sure.” 

Saleh was hired to be the kind of leader that Adam Gase was not. 

“He’s very demanding in what he wants,” Warner said. “He holds the coaches, players, personnel, everybody to the highest standard, that’s just how he is. He’s not gonna scream at you and chew you out. He knows that these are grown men, everybody coming in, they get paid to do a job. He knows everybody is pretty self-motivated. 

“He’s one of the best leaders I’ve been around, I know that for a fact, and wasn’t because he had to be a rah-rah guy. It was just because he demanded excellence day in and day out. And that’s just who he was.” 

His players like that Saleh is the same guy every day. On the field … or in the meeting room. 

“He’s probably one of the best storytellers that I’ve ever been around,” Warner said. “And I say that because he always told stories to kinda like get a point across, some type of metaphor or some type of story to kinda get his point across sometimes. So he keeps things fun and light. But at the same time it’s also direct, to the point.” 

Warner never expected that New York would make Saleh flinch. 

“If anybody was gonna be able to handle it, it would be him for sure, just because he knows exactly who he is and what he stands for,” Warner said. “Obviously what you hear from the New York media is that they’re cutthroat, they’re gonna try and tear you down, but I think with anything, if you’re going through a hard time you gotta remember who you are and stay true to that, and don’t waver, and so I know that’s exactly who Saleh is.” 

It’s a tough division. In my opinion, the Jets are a year away from Taking Flight if they are right about Wilson. Rex Ryan once fielded a defense that helped carry Mark Sanchez to back-to-back AFC Championship games. Just sayin’.