What the Hell Is Robert Saleh Talking About?

As a Detroit Lions fan I am allowed to observe that it must suck to support the New York Jets because outside of two weird Mark Sanchez years it's been a barren wasteland. It must also suck on some level to coach the team despite the millions of dollars in compensation that comes with the gig because the franchise serves as a very juicy butt for jokes. So on one hand it's very understandable that Robert Saleh is fed-up with being a punching bag for the media after serving as a punching bag for other teams on Sunday. On the other hand it's worth wondering what the hell's he thinking ramping up a war in that market by informing everyone's he "taking receipts" on critics.

"I know it's going to happen," Saleh said on Monday, "and we're all taking receipts on all the people who continually mock and say that we're not going to do anything. I'm taking receipts and I'm going to be more than happy to share them with all of you when all is said and done."

"It's exhausting," Saleh continued. "It's exhausting for the coaches. It's exhausting for ownership. It's exhausting for you guys to continue to write about losers. It's exhausting for the fans. It's exhausting for everybody, and nobody wants to lose. "There's nothing worse than being sold a bill of goods on the future. Everybody wants things now. It's like the instant-coffee age."

There's a lot there. The last line is particularly confusing. If there's nothing worse than being sold a bill of goods on the future, then why is he doing it?

Obviously the commentary landed him on the backpage of the NYC tabloids and has the talking heads debating whether what he did was fair or foul. Here's a sample, where everyone on Good Morning Football is pretty nice to Saleh all things considered.

Allow me to be more pointed.

The guy hasn't done anything yet. This is classic Football Coach Brain on display. Everyone's shared receipts show he's 4-14 as coach of the Jets and two of those wins have come against the Texans and Jaguars. Zach Wilson is injured, the offense looks like trash, and there will surely be another year of losing two out of three games ahead of him. What, exactly, is this vague future threat here and who is is supposed to scare?

There's no denying the Jets stink right now. They might be good at some point down the road. That won't mean they didn't stink before. Is the media supposed to provide dishonest commentary about the team because there may be some improvement upon the horizon? And even if Saleh turns things around, does he really think there's going to be some epic own? Everyone is down on the Jets, so I hope he has a bunch of free time to list each and every single person who points out he, at one point, was 4-14.

Now some are saying he's doing this to motivate his team to win football games. I would argue that as professional football players, they should already be motivated to do that. The Us vs. The World trope is so tired at this point that it's been diagnosed with mononucleosis. Perhaps this is literally Saleh's only move. If so, it's pretty sad.

Anyway, write my name on your receipts, man. Perhaps one day you'll get to prove something. Enjoy the unearned and as-yet-unrealized victory lap.