2. What are your thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the Jets' current roster?
Saleh should have an interesting perspective on the Jets, having seen his 49ers blow them out early in the season at Metlife Stadium. However, they showed some improvements down the stretch. Widespread roster turnover is anticipated but it would be nice to get some idea of which existing pieces he sees as worthy of building around.
3. Will you remain in charge of defensive play calling?
It would arguably be reassuring to hear that Saleh was going to delegate play calling duties down to his defensive coordinator so that he can remain more focused on overseeing the whole team. We’ll no doubt hear who will be on his staff over the next few days, but one candidate for the coordinator role could be Kris Richard, who actually interviewed for the Jets’ head coaching job two years ago. Marquand Manuel is another former colleague of Saleh’s who could be ready for such a role.
4. What will your role be on the offensive side of the ball?
Saleh should underline that his role will put equal amounts of emphasis on both sides of the ball, something that has arguably been lacking in every Jets head coach going all the way back to Bill Parcells. Mike LaFleur will be undertaking play calling duties for the first time, although he’s been groomed for such a role under Kyle Shanahan. LaFleur had plenty of experience in terms of creating a system and play design as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator, but presumably Saleh will play a role in terms of how aggressive they’ll be at certain times and in terms of building specific game plans.
5. What goes into the decision-making process when you select your coaching staff?
Saleh has been with several teams during his career, which means there are plenty of former colleagues he can call upon to fill out his staff. However, it might be smart to get a few more experienced and established coaches on board. This might be where he needs to lean on his infectious personality and sell the opportunity to some coaches he might not know personally.
6. How will you deal with insubordination from your players?
Although the Jets regressed badly under Adam Gase, they by and large played hard for him to the end, much to Gase’s credit. Gase was viewed as a disciplinarian, although reports suggested that not all of the players respected him. Saleh seems like more of a player’s coach but still brings a no-nonsense attitude, so it will be interesting to see how successful that approach is with a brand-new team.
7. How much of an influence do you expect to have in personnel decisions, including the draft?
Since they hired him, the expectation is that general manager Joe Douglas must be on the same page as Saleh, so the offseason strategy should be to load up on players who will fit what he wants to do. Will we finally see a change in organizational structure so that Saleh reports to Douglas instead of the owner?
8. What are your feelings about the AFC East?
Unlike the last few Jets coaches, Saleh doesn’t have close ties to the AFC East. Perhaps that’s a positive thing, as any loyalties or rivalries could cloud long-term judgment.
9. Are you prepared for the media in New York?
Gase wasn’t as confrontational with the New York media as some expected, perhaps because his performance left him low on credibility. Saleh should know that the best way to get the New York media on his side is to win football games.
10. Are you going to move on from Sam Darnold?
Don’t expect to get anything more than clues as to whether the Jets will draft a new franchise quarterback or if LaFleur thinks he can “save” Darnold after a disappointing third season. After all, when Kliff Kingsbury was hired by Arizona, he said “Josh Rosen is our guy” then dumped him for Kyler Murray a few months later.
