Ron Middleton is 1-0 as a head coach in the NFL.
Robert Saleh tapped Middleton as his replacement while New York’s actual head coach was out with COVID-19. The Jets’ tight ends coach found himself with a whole new set of responsibilities when Saleh couldn’t join the team for Week 16, but Middleton emerged victorious against the Jaguars.
Middleton doesn’t remember how he reacted when the final whistle blew on the 26-21 triumph, but he was excited for the Jets’ fourth win of the season.
“I thought it was truly, truly a team effort. Special teams, offense, defense – I think everybody stepped up,” Middleton said after the game. “It was an awesome win. An awesome win.”
With the Jaguars driving down the field and the Jets nursing a five-point lead with seconds left on the clock, Middleton agreed that the game got “real tense.”
“I thought it was a great game, too good of a game, good for TV ratings anyway,” he added. “It was exciting and I’m just glad it worked out for us.”
It’s unclear when Saleh will return after testing positive for the virus last week, but Middleton has already learned a lot from his head-coaching experience. Particularly everything that goes on behind the scenes. He specifically shouted out the Jets’ public relations staff for prepping him well for interviews, as we as Saleh’s chief of staff, Steve Scarnecchia, for providing lots of notes for Middleton.
“It’s like a duck on water,” Middleton said. “Everything looks real smooth, but under the water, it’s a lot of pedaling.”
