Time is of the essence for Jeff Ulbrich. Shortly after being named the Jets interim head coach, Ulbrich indicated the staff would likely remain intact, although there could be role changes on the horizon.
"This has been four hours fresh for me to take this job on," Ulbrich said. "Everything will be assessed, the process, the responsibilities, etc. But I do not foresee any changes with the staff."
The Jets have had an uneven offensive start through five games, ranking No. 27 in total offense (298.6 yds/g) and No. 32 in rush yards per game (90.4). Their 18.6 pts/g ranks No. 25.
"We're going to take a deep dive on that in the next 36 hours and look at every possibility, but I do not see changes in necessarily titles, in positions," Ulbrich said of the offensive coaches. "As far as responsibilities and the process itself, we're going to take a hard look at that."
After a 2-1 start, the Jets were held to three Greg Zeurlein field goals in a 10-9 home loss to Denver as Aaron Rodgers was sacked 5 times and hit 14 times. Then last Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, the Vikings collected 3 interceptions of Rodgers including one that resulted in a pick-6 by LB Andrew Van Ginkel. In the 23-17 loss, the Jets went 5-of-17 on third down and averaged 3.6 yards/play.
"I've got tremendous respect for this offensive staff – I do, every single guy on it," Ulbrich said. "In my opinion, these guys are going to be here on "Monday Night Football' for us and they're going to do an amazing job."
When asked if he would remain as the defensive play-caller, Ulbrich said all options are in play.
"Everything is on the table right now, so I am going to take a hard look at that," he said. "And can I manage a gameday as a head coach and call the plays on defense, so everything is on the table right now. It is."
Shortly after Jets Chairman and CEO Woody Johnson said this was the one of the most talented teams the franchise has seen, Ulbrich talked about guiding the club from a "global perspective.".
"We have been underperforming for whatever the reason and we're going to take a hard look at all of it," he said. "I'm going to be me, and I have tremendous love and respect for this team, for this roster, for this locker room, for this group of coaches. And I really believe [if] we lock arms, we commit to the process that we put in place – we will have success. We will."
The Jets (2-3) have an opportunity to move into a first-place tie with the Bills (3-2) when the two clubs resume their AFC East rivalry Monday night at MetLife Stadium. An extra day of preparation will be valuable for Ulbrich as he assesses the complete picture at 1 Jets Drive.
"I think everything's on the table right now," he said. "We're not playing to our potential right now – we're not. We're too talented to being put the product we put out there the last couple of weeks especially, so we have to take a hard look at everything and be honest with ourselves."
