How Jets' Robert Saleh is handling Super Bowl expectations

Head coach Robert Saleh understands people expect his New York Jets to compete for a Super Bowl berth this season and has a two-word phrase for how players should deal with that reality: 

Now what? 

"We do have a good football team," Saleh recently told Jets beat reporter Brian Costello of the New York Post. "We do have good character in the locker room. We do have great individual pieces. We have all these aspirations to go win a Super Bowl. Well, now what? What are you doing when you walk into the building? Let’s get back to the moment. Let’s get back to where our feet are." 

The 2022 Jets were 7-5 with a defense capable of causing problems for offenses throughout the AFC playoffs when quarterback Mike White, starting in place of the benched Zach Wilson, suffered fractures to his ribs that derailed the team's postseason hopes. When all was said and done, the Jets lost six straight games to finish at 7-10. 

New York responded to the disappointment of the previous campaign by landing Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers in April. Over the past few months, Rodgers and his new teammates seemingly have embraced the goal of winning Super Bowl LVIII this coming February, and the four-time NFL Most Valuable Player directly said in July that such hype hovering over the team is "what you want." 

As for Saleh and members of his staff, they've rocked shirts sporting the "Now What" mantra during training camp. 

"I just felt it was necessary," Saleh added about adopting a slogan for the upcoming campaign. "You can either run from expectations or you can embrace expectations. I’ve never believed in not addressing the elephant in the room. The elephant in the room is well, you’re supposed to win a lot of football games. All right, fine, we’ll take it. Thank you. Now what? Who cares what the expectations are? You can’t control expectations, but you can control your day-to-day operation." 

As of Thursday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Jets fourth among betting favorites at +1000 odds to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LVIII. Saleh said such predictions are "awesome" and better than people assuming these are the "same old Jets" picked to fail when it matters most. 

Saleh's Jets open the preseason in the Hall of Fame Game versus the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night.