Jets chairman and CEO Woody Johnson, who spoke to reporters Tuesday morning after parting ways with Robert Saleh and naming Jeff Ulbrich interim head coach, believes the decision will fuel the Jets (2-3).

“This is one of the most talented teams ever put together by the New York Jets,” Johnson said. “I wanted to give this team the best chance to win this season. I feel like we needed to go in a different direction and that’s why I did that today. The change that we made today, that I made, will I think new energy and positivity will lead to more victories from now on.

“I’ve been doing this for 25 years now. This is probably the best team I’ve had. I just felt like this was the best way to go in a new direction and take Jeff Ulbrich and make him interim head coach I thought this would get the most out of this team and give us the best chance to do what we all want, which is get to the playoffs.”

Johson said he spoke with general manager Joe Douglas about the decision on Saleh, who had a 20-36 record since being hired in 2021, but it was Johnson’s decision alone.

“When you make a decision like this, it’s not an easy decision,” Johnson said. “This took a lot of soul-searching. Looking back on my experience in the sport, and especially with the New York Jets for 25 years, I took it very seriously. That’s why I made a decision. I thought and think that it makes us more competitive and it will help us achieve the goals that the team and I want to achieve.

“Now that we have this new leadership, I think it will bring out the best in these players. I really do. I’m confident that will happen. This is a new day for the team and it’s a new day that is welcome.” Now that the team realizes the opportunities this presents for them, I think they will go to a level we haven’t seen for a while.”

The move marks the first midseason head coaching change since Johnson purchased the team in 2000. Ulbrich, who has served as the team’s defensive coordinator since 2021 and has produced a top-five unit each of the past two seasons, will take over as interim head. coach. Ulbrich, who played with the 49ers from 2000 to 2009, has experience as a head coach and served in that role at the Senior Bowl last January.

“I’ve watched him as a coach, I know the relationship he has with the players and they respect him,” Johnson said. “They trust him. I’ve seen it at halftime and I’ve seen it in practice. When he talks, they listen to him in a way that probably reflects the fact that he played the sport as a linebacker for 10 years. It’s pretty unique. “He brings that knowledge, respect and knowledge to the game in a way that I think will be very good for the players in the future.”

When asked about the impact of the coaching change on an offense that has averaged 251 yards and 13 points per game over the past two weeks, Johnson expressed belief in Ulbrich’s transition from focusing solely on defense to the entire team.

“I think one of the reasons I decided to make a coaching change here at the highest level is precisely because we have to find ways to win,” he said. ‘We’re not going to find those ways by doing the same thing over and over again.

“The changes we need to make on offense, we’re going to make on offense and we’re going to make them on defense. We’re going to try to get better. This is a new opportunity for all of us.” .”