Robert Saleh knew it wasn't going to be all seashells and balloons, talk about his philosophy and his vision as the Jets' head coach all day long.
Soon the "nicks and knacks" and negotiations of football would intervene. How would Saleh handle them when asked about them by the team's reporters and fans?
If Friday was any indication, he won't have any hitches getting those messages out with the same positivity that he's expressed in talking about his offensive and defensive schemes and "All Gas No Brake."
Saleh was asked before Friday's OTA session about Wednesday's practice and the fact that the Jets offense was missing three key pieces to the operation — WRs Corey Davis and Denzel Mims and LT Mekhi Becton. Let's start with the "big" topic of Becton (big only in his size, not in the scope of his injury)
"Becton is dealing with a foot. It's nothing that needs surgery, it's really not that big of a deal," he said. "But as you all know, he's a very large human being so we've asked him to stay off his feet and we keep him inside during practice. But he's been in meetings, he's been doing workouts, so he's fine."
Using Becton as a springboard, Saleh had some specific jumping-off points for his young players hoping and planning to become seasoned NFL veterans in the years ahead.
"It's every player, when you take care of your body, when you're in shape, when you're doing all the things you need to do," he said. "Think about it. Their body is their moneymaker, and the amount of investment you put into your body is the amount that it'll give back. And so that's part of the learning progression of young men. They've got to learn to take care of their bodies, they've got to learn how to eat right, work out right, rest right, staying hydrated and all those different things that lead to longevity in this league.
"Mekhi's a young man, a very talented young man, a very large young man, and he's learning every day on what it takes to be a professional and how to take that next step. So we've got a lot of faith in him, he's doing all the right things right now and we're excited to get him to training camp and get to work with him."
Talk about huge, Davis was signed at the start of unrestricted free agency and factors immensely into the Jets' offensive plans, so any injury to him is worth keeping an eye on. But Saleh was not alarmed.
"If it was game week, he'd be rolling," the coach said. "He's one of those veterans that really doesn't really need the reps. We have a lot of young guys on our roster, and he's perfectly fine, just working through a couple of nagging things."
With Mims, the matter was not injury but illness.
"Mims is battling a non-COVID illness," Saleh said. "He should be at practice today."
Finally among the missing that Saleh was asked about was WR Jamison Crowder. Some reporters saw, with the drafting of WR Elijah Moore in Round 2, the prospect of Crowder's departure. The coach said that's not the case.
"Jamison is working through some stuff on his contract with Joe [Douglas] and his agent," he said. "I'm really confident we'll get Jamison in here quickly and when he does, he definitely has a role with this team."
But, Saleh was asked, what is the discussion about since Crowder is under contract for the season ahead?
"That's more of a Joe question," the coach said, repeating later with emphasis, "Absolutely, Jamison's got a role here."
