On the morning after the Jets 31-6 loss at Arizona, interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said that for all the pain and frustration his players are dealing with, they still need a positive messenger at the top of the team's organizational chart.
"It's not easy at all, but at the same time, in my opinion, it's what this team needs," Ulbrich told reporters on Monday morning. "They need someone that's unwavering right now. They need someone that's strong. They need someone that's without compromise and is going to help lead them through this."
After snapping a five-game losing streak in a victory over Houston followed by Sunday's loss, the Jets (3-7) will face Indianapolis on Sunday at MetLife Stadium before taking their bye week. The Green & White has lost six of the past seven games and Ulbrich said that all concerned are frustrated after the team failed to score a touchdown against the Cardinals.
Part of the focus after Sunday's game was on the defense's tackling, which, according to Next Gen Stats, resulted in 20 missed tackles. Ulbrich was asked if he ever contemplated publicly calling out players.
"So you understand me, in this forum [a press conference], I will always back the players," Ulbrich said. "I will in our team meeting rooms, in our meeting rooms, in front of the rest of the team, there's a high level of accountability, I promise you that. So I just, I've never ... that's just not who I ever will be. You know, that's family business, and we keep it in our family."
With seven games left in the regular season, Ulbrich, who played 10 NFL seasons at linebacker for San Francisco, said he has not perceived any lack of commitment among his players.
"Obviously, everyone is pissed," Ulbrich said. "There's collective anger, frustration, all those things. I have not felt in my perspective, I have not felt anyone wavering, though, as far as still committed to being together and getting this done together. And I felt the group that is all in every day, that we've done and at the same time because of that, that elevates the level of frustration and anger and disappointment that we're all feeling. But I don't feel like anyone is wavering or jumping ship at all. I think the character of this locker room is strong and that's the one thing I'd like to think I don't have to worry about."
After the game, Ulbrich put the blame squarely on his own shoulders, asserting that he had failed to adequately prepare his players. Linebacker Jamien Sherwood, who led the team with 17 tackles (7 solo), however, disagreed with his coach.
"Coach Brick, he's a tremendous leader," Sherwood said. "He's a tremendous coach. He's been put in a position to lead us, and I feel like he's been put in a tough spot once he did get that head coaching job. I did feel like we were prepared well on the defensive side of the ball. Everything that they did to us in the game, we practice that. So, I personally wouldn't blame him.
"It doesn't matter about coaching, it doesn't matter about scheming, it doesn't matter about what the coaches give to us. It's about the 11 players that are on the field at that time."
