After Jets linebacker Quincy Williams‘ “accountability” comments following Sunday’s loss to the Vikings, some questioned whether Robert Saleh had lost the Jets locker room. Saleh was ultimately fired on Tuesday morning following a 2-3 start and Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was named interim coach. Saleh still has several supporters in the locker room, including Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner. “I was shocked,” Gardner said about Saleh’s firing. “The reality is, we are 2-3 and everything is still in front of us. “Coach Saleh and I were extremely close since the day the Jets first drafted me and to be honest, he changed my life. Where I come from and all the stuff that I’ve been through growing up in Detroit. I always text him, ‘thank you for taking the chance on me.’ “We still doing it for him because we know everything that he did was out of the kindness of his heart to help the team, to make the team better. So obviously, it’s a change that was made, you know, so our defensive coordinator Brick [Ulbrich] whom I’m extremely close with, and he’s a great leader.” Gardner found out about Saleh’s firing after his agent called him and told him the news. He deleted the X.com/Twitter app from his phone because he said the social media platform has become so negative recently. Ulbrich has helped the Jets’ defense improve from dead last in the league in 2021 to become a top-five unit each of the previous two seasons. Through five games, the Jets defense are second in yards (255.8) and seventh in points allowed per game (17.0). Although the defense has played at a championship level, the Jets offense has continued to struggle even after Aaron Rodgers returned from his Achilles injury he suffered over a year ago. Through five games, the Jets rank 27th in yards (286.6) and 25th in points per game (18.6). The Jets’ best offensive performance came during Week 3’s 24-3 victory against the Patriots when they registered 400 total yards. In addition to the lack of success in the win column and on the scoreboard, playcalling has been predictable and the Jets seemed unable to adjust to what opposing defenses were doing weekly. That’s why Ulbrich stripped offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett of his play-calling duties and passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Todd Downing will now have that role moving forward. Jets owner Woody Johnson believes this year’s team is the most talented he has seen in his 25 years with the organization. But the team was underachieving after having Super Bowl aspirations before the start of the season. “As an offense, we gotta do our jobs to the best of our abilities and play good football,” Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson said. “Whoever is calling the plays, we gotta bring that stuff to light. “We met with Coach Downing today and he is great energy, great vibes and I love him. It’s our job to make whoever is calling the plays look as good as possible because we haven’t been playing good detail football on offense, and the players have to take accountability for that.” Despite the week the Jets have had, they can be in first place in the AFC East with a victory over the Bills on Monday night. Buffalo is 3-2 in the division, but it has lost two straight after beginning the season undefeated. The Jets are 2-3 after back-to-back losses to the Broncos and the Vikings. With 12 games remaining, the Jets still have time to turn their season around, but their Week 6 matchup against the Bills could go a long way in determining who wins the AFC East. “Well, we got to lock arms and raise the level of our play,” Aaron Rodgers said. “I think it’s, spotlights on the players now. You can change coaches, but we’re the ones out there on the field playing, so we got to play better, but we got to stick together, and get behind Brick, and move forward.”