The last few weeks have been especially frustrating on offense for the New York Jets. They are in the midst of a historically poor season on that side of the ball, converting third downs at an alarmingly low rate.
Alas, this is what many people expected to happen when Aaron Rodgers went down with an injury after four plays in Week 1. There wasn’t a contingency plan in place behind him, as Zach Wilson was thrust back into the starting role and Tim Boyle was signed to be his backup.
The results, not surprisingly, have been disastrous. New York has watched another season slip away in large part because of underwhelming play at the quarterback position. The offensive line woes have certainly played a part as well, but even when given the opportunity to produce, the quarterbacks have fallen short.
NFL News & Rumors: Breece Hall, Robert Saleh, New York Jets Updates
That is what makes head coach Robert Saleh calling out running back Breece Hall in a conference call this past weekend all the more head-scratching. The Jets have the worst offensive line in the NFL and a passing game no team is threatened by, enabling them to load the box up against Hall and the running backs.
Despite that, Saleh had some interesting words when talking about his talented second-year back. He explained what Hall has been struggling with as the 2022 second-round pick has rushed for less than 30 yards in three straight games and four out of the team’s last five.
“Breece is a special talent, we all agree when the ball is in his hands, we are better but there’s grimy yards that a back has to understand that he needs to get. There is a saying that if an O-Line blocks for nothing, he has to find two. If they block it for three, he has to find six. If they block it for negative yardage then he has to find a way back to the line of scrimmage,” Saleh said.
“When you press, you are trying to create explosives all over the place. For the most part in the NFL, the O-Line is going to block it for two or three and he has to go find four or five,” Saleh explained. “That means lowering your shoulder, getting dirty, getting grimy, finishing runs, and not trying to find ways to bounce and make people miss at the line of scrimmage all the time because these guys are hunting.” (H/T Heavy)
NFL News & Rumors: Breece Hall, Robert Saleh, New York Jets Updates
There is certainly things Saleh as the head coach sees that fans don’t see. But it is peculiar that Hall is being called out for his performance when there is quite literally nothing he can do.
Since Alijah Vera-Tucker went down with injury, from Week 6 on, Hall is averaging 0.00 yards per carry before contact. That means he is getting hit in every play before he even gets to the line of scrimmage, creating whatever positive yardage he can on his own with yards after contact.
Saleh could be looking to motivate his running back, which Hall took to social media to say. But it certainly is an odd look calling out a player when the position he is being put in is impossible to produce from.
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