Jets head coach will take to sidelines looking unrecognizable from days as 49er

There’s a new face leading the New York Jets.

And he may be unrecognizable to some.

Jeff Ulbrich has been named the New York Jets interim head coach after team owner Woody Johnson fired Robert Saleh following a second consecutive uninspiring loss.

Ulbrich, also the team’s the defensive coordinator, now takes over a struggling 2-3 Jets team looking to provide a spark that Saleh couldn’t.

And if you’re wondering if this is the same Jeff Ulbrich that played for the San Francisco 49’ers from 2000-2009, the answer is yes.

Albeit you wouldn’t be able to tell, just by looking at Ulbrich now.

Long gone are the days of the former defensive lineman rocking a mean blonde mohawk.

Nowadays, Ulbrich looks every bit the grizzled 47-year-old who has been in coaching for the last 15 years.

The good news for Jets fans is that Ulbrich is very good at his job.

Since arriving in 2021 as part of Saleh’ staff, Ulbrich has championed the Jets’ defense at or near the top of every defensive ranking since then.

Per ESPN’s Benjamin Solak, since Saleh hired Ulbrich as the Jets defensive coordinator in 2021, the Jets defense is first in points per drive, first in EPA per play and third in success rate.

Along with allowing the second-lowest yards per game in the NFL.

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Specifically over the last two seasons, Ulbrich’s defenses have finished fourth and third overall in total defense. Including allowing a league-low 4.6 yards per play.

In other words, the man can coach a defense.

Pretty well.

Unfortunately, that’s not the problem in New York.

The defense isn’t what got Saleh fired. It was the offense’s incapability to resemble anything of competence, led by Aaron Rodgers.

That’s what is going to determine the success, or lack thereof, for Ulbrich and Gang Green.

There were rumblings of Saleh planning on taking away play-calling duties from offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett and handing them over to quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, Todd Downing, before he was shown the door.

Ulbrich chose to officially make that happen, as he announced Downing would now be the team’s new play caller.

It’s no secret that the offense needs to play better, everyone knows that. Especially the man in charge of the whole operation.

“We need as players to take accountability,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show. “My main thought was if I played better Sunday, maybe this (Saleh firing) doesn’t happen.”

Rodgers may be right, but ultimately it always felt like Saleh was on borrowed time.

And now it’s Ulbrich’s time. Whether he is able to give this team a spark remains to be seen, but if he starts to falter, he can always bring back the mohawk to works its magic.

That’s surely guaranteed to provide a spark or two.

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