The New York Jets are dealing with a lot of outside noise at a critical juncture in the season.
The Jets play the Buffalo Bills for the top spot in the AFC East on Monday night. The Jets are also dealing with a massive shakeup to their coaching staff after the team was blindsided when head coach Robert Saleh was fired earlier in the week.
Jeff Ulbrich is serving as the interim coach, and according to Pro Football Talk, he named Todd Downing the team’s new offensive coordinator, demoting quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ close friend Nathaniel Hackett.
“It was obviously — not necessarily shocked, but we all are familiar with the relationship [Rodgers] has with Nathaniel. And they’re very, very good friends that go back a long way,” Ulbrich said. “He understood the decision and he was supportive of the decision. And I’m fortunate for that. So, I talked to him, I talked to a lot of offensive players — and defensive players for that matter — before making this decision.”
Rodgers has also talked about the offensive coordinator switch.
“I knew there’d be changes after they let Robert go,” Rodgers said. “I had conversations with Brick over the two days. I knew he was thinking about it, leaning toward it. I told him I’d back him up whatever he decided.”
Rodgers went on to note how praiseworthy it is of Hackett that he is staying with the team to help the Jets achieve their goals despite the demotion.
The Jets seem to have everyone in the facility on the same page, but it’ll be interesting to see how things turn out on the field.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.