Robert Saleh spicing up Jets’ meetings with basketball contests

One of many fiercest competitions at Jets coaching camp this week didn’t occur on a soccer area. 

It got here within the workforce auditorium on Tuesday, close to the tip of the workforce assembly, and it concerned a basketball, not a soccer. 

Rookies Max Mitchell and Micheal Clemons squared off in a free-throw taking pictures contest with Mitchell, a deal with, representing the offense, and Clemons, a defensive finish, representing the protection, making an attempt to outshoot each other. 

Shortly after he was employed final 12 months, head coach Robert Saleh had a regulation-size basketball hoop introduced into the auditorium the place the Jets conduct their workforce conferences, for taking pictures contests identical to the one held on Tuesday. It’s an concept he borrowed from Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who has had a hoop round his groups relationship again to 1994 when he was the coach of the Jets and had one subsequent to the fields at Hofstra. 

“You’ve obtained to lighten issues up and have a bit of enjoyable,” Saleh informed The Put up this week. “It’s one thing I realized from Pete a very long time in the past. They’ve obtained to need to come to workforce conferences. It will probably’t be a drag. It will probably’t be, ‘Oh, right here we go once more.’ You attempt to preserve it mild however on the identical time you’re ensuring we’re holding one another accountable to the very best normal. You possibly can obtain each and I feel Pete has confirmed that.” 

The basketball taking pictures contest is used as a option to break ties from observe the day before today. For instance, the Jets had a contest interval Monday, during which the offense obtained the ball on the 40-yard line after which tried to place collectively a drive to attain. There have been 4 sequence. The offense scored on two and the protection stopped them on two. 

That tie needed to be damaged, and the coaches chosen Mitchell and Clemons to interrupt it. Throughout coaching camp, rookies do the taking pictures. The veterans will become involved throughout the common season. Every shooter is allowed to pick his personal rebounder. 

“Very underrated the choice when choosing your personal rebounder,” Saleh mentioned. “He has to get the ball to you rapidly. He must be an athlete.” 

The shooters every get 30 seconds to make as many photographs as they will. A countdown clock is displayed on the large video display screen on the entrance of the room and there’s a countdown when it will get to 10 seconds. Because the gamers shoot, their teammates cheer and jeer. 

“It’s loud,” Mitchell mentioned. “Guys are hollering at you. It’s all enjoyable and video games. However you’re additionally taking pictures for the offense. You’re making an attempt to win for them.” 

Clemons went first on Tuesday and made three photographs. Mitchell made a key resolution by choosing fellow deal with George Fant as his rebounder. Fant performed faculty basketball at Western Kentucky earlier than turning into a soccer participant and is extensively thought-about to be one of the best hoopster on the workforce. Mitchell edged out Clemons by making a fourth shot as time expired to offer the offense a win, setting off a celebration round Mitchell. 

Jets gamers recognize Saleh’s effort to deliver some enjoyable to what the grind of a soccer season will be. 

“I feel it’s simply form of a option to break up the monotony of a traditional workforce assembly the place you realize what to anticipate,” defensive deal with Sheldon Rankins mentioned. “You anticipate to look at these clips or go over this or go over that. It’s a option to form of take that very same aggressive aspect you might have [on the field] and convey it in there in a method that’s not as bodily however you continue to get guys chanting and hooting and hollering. It’s a option to breed that very same aggressive aspect and breed that camaraderie on all sides of the ball that at all times forces guys to compete and get higher.” 

Has Mitchell, who performed at Louisiana, ever seen something like this in a workforce assembly earlier than? 

“Heck no. That’s a primary,” Mitchell mentioned. “Even strolling in and seeing the basketball aim once I first obtained right here, I believed, ‘Hmm, that’s form of fascinating within the workforce assembly room.’” 

Now, he sees the profit. 

“It eases the strain,” he mentioned. “It’s good.” 

The basketball hoop at One Jets Drive speaks to Saleh’s method as a head coach. He’s not a taskmaster and he needs to make soccer enjoyable. He and common supervisor Joe Douglas additionally need rivals on the soccer area and on the foul line. 

“I feel the one factor that he’s form of harped on even earlier than I signed and speaking to these guys is they need rivals,” Rankins mentioned. “They need guys who need to compete in soccer, but additionally chess, checkers, badminton. It doesn’t matter what it’s. That’s a option to form of deliver that out. On the identical time, you’re persevering with to deliver your guys nearer collectively. Guys root for each other and he finds methods to make the workforce nearer.”