For the first time since Jan. 3, the Jets will play a game. Even though the results of Saturday's preseason matchup against the crosstown rival will have no bearing on the Green & White's record, players will start to stake their claim to a roster spot.
"I think it's awesome," head coach Robert Saleh said. "Every day is an unbelievable blessing but it's always about the players. It's a great opportunity for them to showcase who they are. There are 31 other teams who are going to get their tape for the first time and the style they want to represent and all the different things they want to showcase. I think that's what's most important about these preseason games. You can take them for granted from a team standpoint because it doesn't matter on the win-loss record, but your style of play, what you want to represent and what you want the entire league to know about you starts Saturday. That's why I think there is tremendous value for these preseason games."
Every preseason, coaches balance preparing their players for the regular season and not putting their starters in harm's way. Saleh, entering his first game as head coach of the Jets, believes the reps are necessary for a lot of his players because of their inexperience in the NFL.
"We're a very young football team," he said. "They've got to be able to go through the process of pregame and prepping themselves mentally, getting in their own space, getting ready to play a football game and then going out there and playing a couple of drives. If you think about last year's group, 30 guys on our roster, somewhere around there, that never have had preseason action. To me, this is a big deal. These moments are priceless."
"I think it's awesome," head coach Robert Saleh said. "Every day is an unbelievable blessing but it's always about the players. It's a great opportunity for them to showcase who they are. There are 31 other teams who are going to get their tape for the first time and the style they want to represent and all the different things they want to showcase. I think that's what's most important about these preseason games. You can take them for granted from a team standpoint because it doesn't matter on the win-loss record, but your style of play, what you want to represent and what you want the entire league to know about you starts Saturday. That's why I think there is tremendous value for these preseason games."
Every preseason, coaches balance preparing their players for the regular season and not putting their starters in harm's way. Saleh, entering his first game as head coach of the Jets, believes the reps are necessary for a lot of his players because of their inexperience in the NFL.
"We're a very young football team," he said. "They've got to be able to go through the process of pregame and prepping themselves mentally, getting in their own space, getting ready to play a football game and then going out there and playing a couple of drives. If you think about last year's group, 30 guys on our roster, somewhere around there, that never have had preseason action. To me, this is a big deal. These moments are priceless."
