While the news of the Jets parting ways with Robert Saleh came as a surprise to players yesterday, they're confident in their interim HC Jeff Ulbrich.
"I mean he's the ultimate competitor," captain C.J. Mosley said of Ulbrich. "Just working with him every day, going through the battles that we've been through these last four years, I know what makes him tick. I know this story, I know his 'why', I know his family. When you know somebody that intimately, you naturally want to perform at your best for him and you want to do things to make him proud. So, he's just one of those coaches that that brings that out of you every single day, even when you're tired, even when he's tired, he finds a way to motivate our defensive staff and our defensive room every day."
Ulbrich has been the Jets defensive coordinator since 2021 when he joined the staff from the Falcons. He served as the linebackers coach from 2015-19 and was promoted to assistant head coach in the 2020 season. After 10 yeas playing with the 49ers, Ulbrich began his coaching career with the Seahawks as an assistant special teams coordinator before a stint at UCLA from 2012-14.
"I think the things that I appreciate about Brich are number one, he played the game at the highest level," special teams captain Thomas Morstead said. "He knows what it's like to be a player in this league. Some guys, when they're done playing, aren't ready to be done playing if they really love the game. He still has kind of a player's passion for the game. You can see that with how he talks to the guys."
TE Tyler Conklin, a member of the Jets' leadership council that includes Mosley and Morstead, echoed a similar sentiment.
"It's not the way I'm sure he wanted to get his first head coaching debut, but I'm excited for him," he said. "Like a lot of people have talked about, he's he played the game for a long time. He's a great man, he commands the room, you have a lot of respect for him and he's also super personable. You feel you can go to him about anything. I'm excited for his opportunity."
Ulbrich has over 20 years of NFL experience through his combined playing and coaching careers. He'll make his head coaching debut Monday night in Week 6 against the Jets' divisional rival Buffalo Bills with the support of his team.
"When we take that field on [gameday], it doesn't just say Morgan Moses, it says the New York Jets," Moses said. "We're a family. We're a team. When you have situations like this, man, it brings you a lot closer together as a unit."
