Robert Saleh and Justin Fields could turn New York Jets around

The New York Jets will be in good hands if they pair Justin Fields with new head coach Robert Saleh.

There’s something special about putting a dynamic quarterback on the same team as a defensive mastermind at head coach. Think of how the Indianapolis Colts turned things around when Tony Dungy came aboard to coach the team with Peyton Manning under center.

Dungy had a top-10 defense in five of his six seasons coaching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before heading to Indy in 2002. While he never again had the elite defense he boasted with the Bucs, he was able to vastly improve that side of the ball and the offense remained explosive thanks to Manning.

In the end, Dungy was able to win nearly 76 percent of his games with the Colts, finishing with a record of 85-27 in seven years. The way the defensive mind of Dungy meshed with Manning and his offensive prowess was the reason for their wild success.

That’s a similar dynamic the New York Jets could potentially have should they pull the trigger on Justin Fields with the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. Fields is a player who can put points on the board all by himself, and he would be joining a defensive guru in Robert Saleh, who was recently signed by the Jets to replace Adam Gase.

While we aren’t ready to put Saleh on the same level as Dungy, or Fields on the same planet as Manning, the fact is, this is a very similar dynamic.

Saleh has coached the 49ers to a top-five defense in terms of yardage in each of the past two seasons. Not only that but in 2019, that unit was good enough to get to the Super Bowl with Jimmy Garoppolo and a patchwork wide receiver corps on offense.

As for Fields, he had 63 touchdowns against just nine picks over the past 22 games for the Buckeyes as a passer. On the ground, he added another 867 yards and 15 touchdowns.

He’s not as polished of a passer as Trevor Lawrence, which is why he won’t be going first overall. But he might be a better fit for the Jets since they need a quarterback who can make things happen on his own.

It’s a recipe for success when a team can build up their defense and find a playmaker on offense. New York has struggled for years to field a winner and while it will be hard to scrap the plans they had with Sam Darnold, the move to Fields will be the right one.

Pairing him with Saleh will give them the leaders they need to finally turn Gang Green around.