Some think Jets coach Robert Saleh had lost the locker room.
If he did, cornerback Sauce Gardner wasn’t among them.
The third-year player, who was a first-team All Pro in both of his first two seasons, told reporters on Thursday that the firing of Saleh still feels weird, via Kimberley A. Martin of ESPN.com.
“If I’m being honest,” Gardner said of Saleh, “we’re doing it for him still.”
Gardner added that Saleh “changed my life,” and that he texts Saleh on his birthday every years and says, “I appreciate you.”
Whatever the reason(s) for owner Woody Johnson deciding to fire Saleh, the players hadn’t quit on Saleh. The defense was among the best in the NFL. The offense (not his specialty) was and is sluggish. The Jets brought in quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his hand-picked offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, in order to goose the offense.
That hasn’t happened. It’s unclear why Saleh should take the fall for the fact that Rodgers and his right-hand man left their combined magic in Green Bay. But Saleh did. And if the players disagreed with that, it makes it even more of a challenge to turn around and win a significant game against the Bills on Monday night.
