Former Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith appears to dislike Robert Saleh and occasionally gets involved in contentious statements against the head coach.
Smith began his NFL career in 2005 with the San Francisco 49ers, though later teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and Washington Football Team added him to their rosters. After successfully recovering from a horrific leg injury, the veteran quarterback announced his retirement from the NFL and began a new career as an NFL analyst with ESPN.
He is also frequently found talking his story on the Ted Talks circuit. Additionally, Saleh accepted his first head coaching position with the New York Jets on January 14, 2021, the year Alex announced his retirement.
Why did the NFL analyst blame Robert Saleh?
The NFL analyst discussed the Jets and their head coach while appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio. As the topic of their shortcomings with first-round pick quarterback Zach Wilson came up during the discussion, the analyst pulled Saleh’s leg.
The 39-year-old claimed that though the HC is a defensive-minded coach, he is not capable of fully cultivating an NFL quarterback and blamed Robert for Wilson’s poor performance.
“Yeah, Robert Saleh, you’re a great defensive mind and coordinator, but like you have no idea how to develop a quarterback. The coordinator you hired never called plays,” Smith said. “So that’s a completely different animal. And as much as you think you’re prepared to handle that development of a young kid, you’re just not,” the NFL analyst said.
Wilson was chosen by Joe Douglas in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft over a large number of other gifted young quarterbacks. Even in the midst of his difficulties, the rookie quarterback completed 213 of 383 passes, threw for 2,334 yards, nine touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. However, despite the Jets coach’s assurances that the team is committed to his advancement, the 22-year-old’s performance is deteriorating daily and the team as well as the Saleh is facing many challenges and backlashes due to his performance.
Under Robert’s direction, the Jets had an 11-23-0 record, but the former NFL star accused the HC of lacking the insight necessary to develop a quarterback.
