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An interesting observation from a Jets fan.
Former NFL GM Michael Lombardi has a popular podcast, now on SiriusXM, called “GM Shuffle.”
In an era of so many people afraid to say how they truly feel, Lombardi is a rare straight-shooter.
On a recent episode, Lombardi took a question from social media.
“I’m admittedly a disgruntled Jets fan. What has long plagued his franchise is the culture of losing. I’m glad they finally got a win, what bothered me is how they acted when they did. (Robert) Saleh got a Gatorade bath and after the game he asked Zach Wilson ‘if he was having fun yet.’ They are 1-3. I’m glad they got the monkey off their back, but winning cultures don’t celebrate like that after one win or am I missing the big picture.” – Bram.
“They acted like they won the Super Bowl,” said Lombardi. “Act like you’ve been here before.”
Are Bram and Mike being fair here?
To a degree.
I will cut Saleh and the Jets a little slack because this was the first win for Saleh as an NFL coach, which is a pretty big deal for a coach. He worked a long time to get this position. This was also the first win for Wilson as an NFL QB.
But there is no doubt that you generally need to temper the excitement about regular-season wins and keep them in perspective.
Let’s look at the cultural concern that Bram expressed.
There is no doubt that Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas are working hard to turn the Jets’ culture around, and this could take some time.
But it’s not just about the players and coaches. Changing the culture takes everyone in the building having the right mindset, not just the players and coaches. Everybody!
Because the team hasn’t won a lot in recent years, sometimes you get the sense that for some people, that any win is a monumental accomplishment and over-celebrated.
So from that standpoint, Bram might be on to something.
Look, this culture change is going to take time.
Changing a football culture takes a lot of heavy-lifting. You need to bring in the right players and coaches to get this done, with their priorities in order – all about we, not about me.
It will be interesting to see if Saleh and Douglas can get the culture change done. Remember, whenever you get a new regime in town, don’t most of them talk about changing the culture?
Lombardi was talking about the problems with the New York Giants, who might have their own culture problem.
“They can blame Ben McAdoo, they can blame Pat Shurmur, they can blame Jerry Reese, the problem is organizational and institutional,” said Lombardi.
Lombardi has been very critical of owner John Mara and his meddling.
In the past there was some owner football meddling in Florham Park, but I don’t sense that is going on right now. The Johnson’s seem committed to being hands-off with Saleh-Douglas.
But while that is a good sign for the Jets, it’s going to take more than that.
Everyone needs to buy into the culture change.
And moving forward, regular-season wins should be appreciated, but perhaps eschew the Gatorade.
October 14, 2021
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