Audio By Carbonatix
It has been a very strange week for Nathaniel Hackett and the New York Jets. Not only was Robert Saleh fired on Tuesday, Todd Downing received a promotion to serve as the primary playcaller.
The move created a weird dynamic for the coaching staff, which also translates to the locker room.
Hackett was not stripped of his title as offensive coordinator even though he is not calling plays. Nor was he fired. The 44-year-old, who is close to Aaron Rodgers, wanted to stay with the team as an assistant despite his minimal role. Downing offered him high praise for how he — and the entire organization — has handled the potentially uncomfortable situation.
I think you’re absolutely right that, in a normal circumstance with normal or everyday people, it would be [awkward]. I can’t express to you the respect, the reverence I have for the way Nathaniel has gone about his business from the moment the switch occurred.
— Todd Downing
Saleh was reportedly going to swap out Hackett for Downing prior to his abrupt firing, which caught him completely off guard. Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich was then tasked with the same decision of how to fix the offense and ultimately landed on the same solution.
He took the keys away from Hackett and handed them to Downing.
According to the latter, the former has been overwhelmingly supportive. Any potential tension between them has not created any problems. Hackett is going out of his way to do whatever Downing might need.
The only thing that mattered to him was this offense putting together a good product and us winning football games. He put his ego aside. He is an absolute servant, and it really has been humbling to watch how he’s handled this.
— Todd Downing
Even though Downing was trying to praise Nathaniel Hackett for how he has handled this whole thing, it accidentally made him sound extremely pathetic. To describe him as a “servant” paints the picture that he is running around the team facility getting coffee for the real playcallers or shining their shoes after practice.
That may not be an accurate depiction of the situation, but Hackett’s decision to stay on the staff despite being fired from his actual designated job puts him in an uncomfortable position. With that being said, he’s getting paid the same to do less work!