HBO’s Hard Knocks series debuted on Tuesday night as the yearly series follows the New York Jets and the heightened expectations that come with the acquisition of future Hall of Fame QB Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers will most certainly dominate the show’s coverage, but Jets head coach Robert Saleh provided one of the most noticeable soundbites.
Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh Gives Motivational Speech
The motivational speech prompted more than a few confusing looks on the faces of the players, but as Saleh continued his message, he drew in the players’ attention and the audience watching behind the scenes from their homes.
“Did you know that the only bird, the only bird in the world that will attack an eagle is a crow? It will perch on the eagle’s back and peck at its neck. So rather than fight back and tearing the crow to pieces, like it can, the eagle spreads its wings, and it soars as high as it possibly can.
“It keeps going, and going, and going as high as it can. The higher the eagle flies, the harder it is for the crow to breathe. Eventually, the crow suffocates, falls back down to Earth, and dies.”
The speech is intriguing, but as the Jets’ coach would explain, the message is an analogy for the football team heading into the 2023 season and how they must push aside years of unfulfilled promise.
“Guys, we got a great deal of hype around us. We do. All kinds of expectations. And with great expectations, we know that there’s going to be a whole lot of people, a whole lot of crows expecting us to fall on our face.
“What are you doing to find that little bit more to get us closer to being a great f—ing team? You finish practice, now what? You finish meetings, now what? You finish lifting, now what? A rep, now what?”
Saleh brought it home nicely, firing up the team (and me from the comfort of my couch).
“If we come together and we challenge ourselves to do a little bit more every day, the crows? They’ll fall by themselves. Embrace what we’re capable of. Embrace the fact that we aren’t the same old Jets. Embrace the fact that we do have a target on our back. Embrace the fact that when teams look at our schedule, they’re not chalking us up for a W. They’re coming at you. That’s exactly where we want to be.”
I. LOVE. ROBERT. SALEH. pic.twitter.com/KHStdGqEuF
— rivs ? (@rivtakesflight) August 9, 2023
To the shock of no one, social media had some thoughts on Saleh’s speech.
I fucking love Robert Saleh.
— 𝙅𝙀𝙏𝙎 𝙈𝙀𝘿𝙄𝘼🛫 (@NYJets_Media) August 9, 2023