That’s great, of course, but in some ways that part has been easy. Saleh is in the early stages of his honeymoon period, and the Jets clearly were going to embrace any new approach coming off what happened last year. And nothing has gone wrong yet – no tough practices, no concerning injuries, no bad losses or disappointing performances.

Everything is awesome right now, which is why the outlook is so good.

“It’s been a great offseason. The guys have been incredibly receptive,” Saleh said. “But when we get those adversity moments -- the dog days of summer, the preseason games, or we might have an injury and some guys might have to take extra reps -- they’re the moments that are going to define this team, shape the leadership of this team, shape the identity of this team, and propel us into the season. How we handle those moments is what’s going to build us for not only this year, but for years to come.

“So it’s cool that there’s a positive outlook. But we haven’t even scratched the surface yet in terms of what the overall outlook of this organization is going to be.”

Right now, about the only thing Saleh is sure the Jets will be is young. Douglas has begun restructuring the team with his deep draft classes the last two seasons, and they’ve obviously turned the offensive over to a rookie quarterback in Zach Wilson, too. Two-thirds of their roster is 25 or younger and they have only four players in their 30s.

And though it’s too early to tell for sure, their starting lineup could consist of rookies or second-year players at 10 different spots, including quarterback, cornerback, receiver, running back, and two spots along the offensive line.

“Pete Carroll once said ‘You can’t be afraid to play young guys. They’re hell on wheels, but they’re fun to watch,’” Saleh said. “There are going to be ups and downs. If you coach and you invest (in those players) and as a player you invest back, that’s when you become an explosive team in a hurry.

“But to get to that point takes some trials and tribulations, some bumps in the road and some headaches. But you can’t be afraid to go through those bumps because there’s light at the end of the tunnel. It might be a freight train or it might be an actual light, but it don’t matter. We’re going through that tunnel.”

They certainly are, for better or worse. And how they handle that journey will tell Saleh what his team’s real identity is by the time it gets to the other side.

“Our identity is not going to reveal itself until we see adversity,” he said. “Everyone loves being a part of winning and everyone loves being a part of good things. But what’s going to happen when you hit adversity and things are not going your way?

“We’re going to have a lot of ebbs and flows. There’s going to be a lot of great moments. There’s going to be a lot of hair-pulling moments. But at the end of the day that’s what’s going to shape this football team.”

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