Jets head coach Robert Saleh responds to 'tanking' claims ahead of final games
New York Jets' coach Robert Saleh has rubbished claims that his team will 'tank' their last two games of the NFL regular season. The Jets, who are already out of playoff contention, recently celebrated a 30-28 victory over the Washington Commanders, taking their record to 6-9 for the year.
Despite being out of the running, Saleh insists his team is focused on ending the season on a high note, with matches against the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots still to come. This comes amid speculation that the Jets might deliberately lose to secure a higher draft pick in April. Currently, they hold the ninth overall pick in the first round for 2024.
"As a fan, I get it, but I would challenge the fan to walk into the locker room and look at all those men who strap up every day and crossed the white and put in all this work," Saleh told reporters on Monday, via the New York Post.
"We are all competitive, and no one wants to step on the field and put together a poor effort and look bad on tape. That is their resume, that's who they are. That's who we are.
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"Our game plans, our performance on the field as players and there's a lot of pride and there's a lot of sacrifice that all these men who play football have sacrificed their entire lives. The blood, the sweat, the tears, the family time, the vacations, to put themselves in position to call themselves professional athletes.
"While I get it from the fan perspective, you will never see a player ever think about anything other than stepping on the field being his absolute best and trying to figure out how to win a football game, same with coaches."
The Jets continue the season without Aaron Rodgers, their star quarterback who suffered an Achilles tendon injury in Week 1.
The New York Jets have been a disappointment this season (Al Bello/Getty Images)Rodgers was put on the active roster by the Jets on Dec. 20, after a 21-day practice window that started on Nov. 29. However, Saleh has previously stated that Rodgers will not be playing and the decision to add the four-time MVP to the active roster was to help his recovery from the injury.
Zach Wilson, the back-up quarterback, is still in concussion protocol after sustaining a head injury in the Week 15 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Trevor Siemian started the win over the Commanders and is likely to continue as the starter for the Week 17 game against Cleveland on Thursday night.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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