“Hate away,” HC Robert Saleh HITS BACK at Sean Payton over his ‘below the belt’ comments on Aaron Rodgers’ Jets
Saleh is focused on his squad rather than outside noise.
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(L) Robert Saleh and (R) Sean Payton (Image credit: Jetsxfactor/ESPN)
It’s the off-season training camps, and two managers are going at each other with banter. The NFL is back with a bang, and it looks like the rivalries will reach new heights in 2023. The Broncos’ current head coach, Sean Payton, took a dig at his predecessor, Nathaniel Hackett, blaming him for an abysmal 2022 season of the Denver-based team. Hackett’s colleague, Jets head coach Robert Saleh, has returned the favor twofold.
Hackett was let go by the Walton Group, owners of the Denver Broncos, after he only managed a 5-12 record last year. Saleh then welcomed him as the Jets’ offensive coordinator. Later, the Super Bowl XLIV winner with the New Orleans Saints, Payton, was appointed as the new head coach of the Denver team.
Since then, the 59-year-old has been very vocal about the state of the franchise. He deemed Hackett’s work “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL.” Moreover, Payton also took a dig at the Jets, saying that being on Hard Koocks would prove his point to everyone.
However, the New York Jets shot-caller does not want to pay attention to what others have to say. On the contrary, Saleh believes,” ‘If you ain’t got no haters, you ain’t poppin.’ So hate away.”
“I’m not going to acknowledge Sean,” Saleh told the media after Thursday’s training camp. “Obviously, we’re doing something right. He can say whatever the hell he wants. We don’t even play them until Week 5.”
He also defended his OC, Hackett: “I think he’s doing a phenomenal job here. There are a lot of people looking for us to fail. But all you can do is spread your wings and keep flying.”
Robert Saleh says Aaron Rodgers unlikely to play in pre-season games
The New York Jets coach revealed after their practice session on Thursday that fans may not see Aaron Rodgers play any pre-season games. But he did mention letting the veteran quarterback play against their city rivals, the New York Giants, for a brief period of time on August 26.
Saleh spoke with Michael Kay, host of the Michael Kay Show after the camp concluded yesterday. Kay asked him whether Aaron Rodgers would see any preseason game time.
The 44-year-old replied, “If he [Aaron Rodgers] does, it will be the Giants game.” Kay followed up the question with, why the Giants game, and why not play the 10-time Pro Bowler earlier? Saleh revealed that it would be a quick “tune-up.”
It seems the coach does not want his not-so-secret weapon to be analyzed early on. He prefers to wait until the regular session begins against the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills on September 11.
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Ishan Misra
(3113 Articles Published)