Saleh 'genuinely excited for adversity' in Jets coaching debut

Robert Saleh is looking forward to his head coaching debut with the New York Jets.

"Everything’s been awesome," Saleh said in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. "Call it the greatest honeymoon in the world, if you want. It’s been great. But I’m genuinely excited for adversity. Because a lot of different things are going to pop up."

He added: "I think that's when teams have their greatest amount of growth - it's through adversity. And so with training camp, that's what I'm most excited for. I wanna see how people respond."

Saleh, 42, takes over a franchise that finished no higher than third in the AFC East over the past five seasons. He previously spent four years in San Francisco as a defensive coordinator and noted how the Niners used their struggles from the 2018 season to make a Super Bowl run in 2019.

"I really believe it stemmed from 2018, it stemmed from all that adversity, it stemmed from guys knowing that they’re capable of so much more," he said.

The first-year coach is now tasked with replicating that feat in the Big Apple. The Jets made a series of changes, including firing former coach Adam Gase after posting a 9-23 record with the franchise.

Rookie quarterback Zach Wilson is projected to start after the club traded Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers this offseason. The Jets also upgraded their pass rush by signing Carl Lawson in free agency.