Jets Roster Left In Shock After Player-Coach's Firing

The firing of Robert Saleh as head coach of the New York Jets sent shockwaves across the NFL with coaches and players sounding off on a great person and defensive minded coach.

That decision hit hardest inside the Jets locker room, though.

Saleh may have been 20-36 as a coach, but his ability to bring the locker room together and develop New York's young roster left a lasting impact on the transformed culture of the team.

"He believed in me," Garrett Wilson said of Saleh. "To have a coach that valued my opinion...it hurts. I'm confident that his best days are ahead of him in this league."

All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner even added that the team was still playing for Saleh despite the firing.

It isn't lost on any of the Jets locker room that the simple reason for the coaching change came via the results on Sundays. Had New York beaten the Denver Broncos or Minnesota Vikings, there's a good chance Saleh is still the head coach.

But it's no use crying over spilled milk. New York is refocusing their efforts on preparing for a fight for the top of the AFC East crown through siz weeks when they take on the Buffalo Bills on Monday night.

That's the message the leaders of the team are pushing including quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

"Well, we got to lock arms and raise the level of our play," Rodgers said. "I think it's, spotlights on the players now. You can change coaches, but we're the one's out there on the field playing, so we got to play better, but we got to stick together, and get behind Brick (Ulbrich), and move forward."

Related: Jets' Sauce Gardner Surprising Reaction to Robert Saleh Firing

Jeff Ulbrich won't have to worry about rallying the locker room. They have done so well before he took over as the face of the team. A big reason for that?

Saleh's influence. And it's still being felt just days after his removal.