Paul Bretl | 10/23/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers were back on the practice field on Wednesday in preparation for their Week 8 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Spotted along the sidelines was recently fired former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
After practice, Matt LaFleur said that Saleh won’t have an official title with the Packers–his time spent working with the team will remain “fluid,” as LaFleur put it–but he will be helping out on the offensive side of the football.
“We’ve been close for a really long time,” said LaFleur after Wednesday’s practice. “Shoot, we were roomates together back at Central Michigan. So, we thought it was a good idea just to bring him here and he’s helping us on the offensive side of the ball. I think that’s always a good deal to have the perspective, that defensive perspective on that side of the ball. So, just taking a look at some of the things we’re doing.”
Saleh helping out isn’t the first time that the Packers have done something like this. In 2022, after the Detroit Lions fired then defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant, LaFleur brought him in as well.
LaFleur also made it clear that Saleh would not be helping out on defense. LaFleur has complete trust in Jeff Hafley, that coaching staff, and how things are operating.
“I don’t want to do that I think Haf and our defensive staff have a great thing going right now,” LaFleur said. “And I totally trust them, so I think it’s Year 1, he’s kind of got to go through it himself. So, I don’t want to do that.”
Following a 2-3 start to the season for the Jets, who very much find themselves in a win-now mode, owner Woody Johnson made the surprising move to move on from Saleh. During Saleh’s tenure as New York’s head coach, the team was just 20-36 with no playoff appearances and frequent issues on the offensive side of the ball–and often at quarterback–persisting throughout his time at the helm.
“Well it’s certainly disappointing,” said Matt LaFleur two weeks ago when asked about the news of Saleh being fired. “Robert, in my eyes, I think he’s one of the best at what he does and it’s disappointing obviously me as his friend, I thought he’s done a lot of good things there. But it is what it is. But I do think when you see the stuff go on and happen in our league, it’s part of our business, but it certainly makes you appreciative of where you’re at right now with the Green Bay Packers.”
LaFleur and Saleh have a long-standing friendship that goes back a number of years. This includes LaFleur being the best-man in Saleh’s wedding. The coaching careers of LaFleur and Saleh have intertwined throughout the years as well, with both on the same coaching staff at Central Michigan in 2004 and then again with the Houston Texans in 2008-2009.
Originally, it was reported by Mike Silver of The Athletic, that Saleh didn’t have any plans of joining another coaching staff during the 2024 season. Instead, he was going to regroup, vacation with his family, and wait for the 2025 hiring cycle, where he would be one of, if not the most sought-after defensive coordinators on the job market.
However, those plans have obviously changed.
Known for his ability as a defensive play-caller, while the Jets struggled on offense during Saleh’s time as the head coach, he regularly fielded top defensive units.
Through the first five games of the season, the Jets’ defense ranked eighth in expected points added per play. By more traditional metrics, such as points allowed per contest, they ranked fifth, and by yards per play surrendered, they ranked first. Looking back at the 2023 season, it was a similar story for this unit, who finished the year 11th in points per game allowed and first in yards per play.
Saleh’s ability as a defensive play designer and game-planner will provide an outside perspective, specifically when it comes to LaFleur self-scouting his Green Bay offense. Saleh can provide LaFleur and the rest of the offensive coaches with insight into how each opponent might go about attacking and game-planning for the Green Bay offense through the eyes of a former defensive play-caller who has proven that he can field one of the top defensive units in football.
“I just think it’s a good opportunity, I mean, for him to learn and also for him to help us and give us perspective on how teams might see us, how they might defend us,” LaFleur added. “Certainly can find holes in, or some vulnerabilities if you will in the defense that we’re playing. So yeah, that’s how we’re going to use him.”
With or without Saleh, this is a process that the Packers and every NFL team goes through, but Saleh’s expertise and experiences can provide a different lens for Green Bay as they go about that weekly exercise. I would imagine that the hope is that Saleh will provide a new perspective on how LaFleur’s play designs and initial game-plans can be attacked. That should–in theory–result in a more well-prepared and robust final product on Sundays.
“I think it helps. Having a defensive mind talking offense and helping us with things he might be able to see, kind of similar scheme stuff, things the defense might be looking for, it helps,” said Jordan Love.
The Packers already boast one of the most explosive and dynamic offenses in football. The variety of versatile playmakers that they have coupled with LaFleur at the helm already makes this a unit that’s difficult to defend and game-plan for.
Watching the games unfold on Sundays you’re not going to know that Saleh is a part of the equation–you’re going to see the same offense. However, in a game where the margin for winning and losing is razor thin, that little extra edge from a game-planning perspective that Saleh can potentially provide could prove valuable when it comes to certain play designs or how the Packers attack certain situations.
“I think he’s got an elite defensive mind,” LaFleur said. “But that’s why I want him on the offensive side, so he can help us attack the defenses.”