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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich threw himself under the bus, telling reporters the latest loss “falls on my shoulders 100 percent.” After that, he worked the locker room at State Farm Stadium, crisscrossing it to shake hands and embrace players after their 31-6 defeat Sunday to the Arizona Cardinals.
Ulbrich, a former NFL linebacker, coaches the way he once played — with emotion and passion. If dapping up players were a statistical category, the Jets would lead the league. He does it every day, even before practices. Unfortunately for them, the feel-good vibes haven’t translated to winning.
The epitaph for the 2024 Jets: Hugs & misses.
Their 2-3 start prompted impatient owner Woody Johnson to fire fourth-year coach Robert Saleh, and everything — offense, defense, you name it — has regressed since. The Jets are 1-4 under Ulbrich, falling out of contention despite being favored in four of those games — an illustration of how the team continues to underperform.
“Everyone is pissed,” Ulbrich said Monday. “There’s collective anger, frustration, all those things.”
An opposing player, who faced the Jets this season, questioned the team’s chemistry.
“[It’s a] good roster,” the player said. “They’re just not playing together or for each other.”
The Jets, careening toward their 14th straight season without a playoff appearance, likely will have a full organizational reset after the season. Johnson had huge expectations, calling this his best team in 25 years of ownership.
Perhaps the most alarming thing is how the Jets have lost their identity.
For two-plus seasons, they were one of the better defensive teams in the league. Not anymore. Under Ulbrich, who doubles as the defensive coordinator, they’re allowing 26 points and 349 yards per game, compared to 17 points and 256 yards in the first five games.
Despite his increased responsibility as the head coach, Ulbrich remains hands on with the defense. He’s as involved in meetings as he was before his promotion, according to players, and he continues to call the plays. He appears stretched too thin, yet he refuses to yield authority because he believes it’s important to maintain continuity.
“He doesn’t sleep very much, probably,” defensive back Isaiah Oliver said.
Ulbrich overhauled the offense, stripping coordinator Nathaniel Hackett of the playcalling and handing the job to passing-game coordinator Todd Downing. There has been a slight bump in the rushing and passing production, but the scoring has dipped (from 19 to 17 points per game) and their situational efficiency (third down and red zone) has plummeted.
Under Downing, their red zone rate is only 44%, down from 62% under Hackett. “We were just really bad,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said of the offense’s situational performance Sunday.
Rodgers defended the playcalling even though there was a questionable sequence at the goal line. On a second-and-goal from the Arizona 3-yard line, the Jets eschewed the run and called three straight pass plays — two incompletions and a sack.
Despite Rodgers’ struggles, the Jets continue to be overly reliant on the pass. Rodgers has 351 attempts, second most in the league. What’s not clear is how much of that is him changing plays at the line of scrimmage. He has the freedom to do that, so it’s possible he’s flipping run calls to pass plays.
What is clear is that Rodgers is forcing the ball to Davante Adams, who has 20 receptions in 39 targets in the four games since his arrival — easily the worst catch rate (51.3%) among the 19 wide receivers with at least 25 targets in that span.
The Jets traded for Adams on Oct. 15, anticipating he and Rodgers would recreate the magical chemistry they shared in their Green Bay Packers days. Instead of long-lost friends, they’re performing like complete strangers.
“That’s not my standard of football, so it’s frustrating,” Adams said of the overall malaise.
There was a play Sunday that epitomized the state of Adams, Rodgers and the offense. It happened on a third down from the Arizona 27. Adams cut inside, Rodgers threw outside. Result: An ugly incompletion. Adams said they hadn’t practiced that play against that particular defensive look — a Cover 0 blitz.
Meanwhile, Mike Williams, criticized by Rodgers last month and eventually traded away, scored a touchdown in his Pittsburgh Steelers debut Sunday.
Rodgers was supposed to rescue the Jets from the abyss, but his Canton-worthy résumé and leadership skills have been no match for the losing culture that envelops the franchise.
The cold, hard reality is the Jets have been less competitive than they were last season under Zach Wilson. Rodgers, who turns 41 on Dec. 2, appears to be a diminished player, no longer capable of using his arm, feet and mind to thrash a defense. He has gone 32 straight games without a 300-yard passing day, by far the longest active drought in the league.
Through clenched jaw, Rodgers declined after the game to share his true feelings. This must be eating him up. Adams acknowledged as much, saying all-time greats hate to lose.
“If Michael Jordan was on this team,” Adams said, “he wouldn’t be happy.”
Ulbrich inherited this after Johnson blindsided everyone by firing Saleh. Johnson figured the fiery Ulbrich would provide a spark, galvanizing a roster filled with big names but little chemistry.
The opposite has occurred, with players (most notably Adams) questioning the team’s energy level. That might explain why the Jets missed 20 tackles Sunday, letting the Cardinals run wild.
Players swear by Ulbrich’s coaching style, saying he brings a player’s mentality to the job. He has so much energy that it seems like he has a battery inserted in his back, tackle Morgan Moses mused.
“He goes around and tells everybody, ‘You’re a lucky motherf—er,'” Moses said. “What he’s really saying is, ‘If I could have one more snap to be out there, I would give anything to do that.'”
Behind closed doors, Ulbrich isn’t afraid to hold them accountable, according to players. If someone makes a mistake, he will point it out in a meeting, but it’s never in a mean-spirited way. He’s a lot like his coaching mentor, Pete Carroll, always taking the half-full approach.
“There is a high level of accountability, I promise you that,” said Ulbrich, adding that he never will air “family business” in public.
But he’s not afraid to show affection in public. One day last week, Ulbrich embraced Rodgers with such force that he lifted him off the ground. The scene conjured up that viral moment from Sept. 20, when the quarterback resisted an in-game embrace from Saleh.
It’s probably a stretch to say the Ulbrich-Rodgers hug was symbolic of an improved coach-quarterback relationship — Rodgers never said anything negative about Saleh — but it illustrates a more touchy-feely vibe around the team.
Bottom line: They’re 3-7 and appear to be closer to the No. 1 pick (with the 11th-best odds in the NFL, according to ESPN Analytics) in the 2025 draft than to a playoff berth.
Hugs & misses.