Aaron Glenn, the recently named head coach of the New York Jets, has laid out a plan to bring the downtrodden franchise back to glory. He first announced his intentions at the NFL annual meeting. Even the Jets, masters of decades-long tank jobs, have always wanted to avoid laying out a plan for five years of misery. With Glenn’s visionary leadership in place, the team is poised for a revolutionary reset. The draft of quarterback Justin Fields marks an exhilarating new chapter in their fortunes.
In his proclamation Glenn made an exuberant declaration of faith. He believes the Jets have been lacking the ingredients for sustained winning for far too long. He focused on the idea of a clean canvas. No one’s going to tell you there isn’t competition. This team is going to be founded on competition, he said. He emphasized creating a climate in which players compete against each other and drive each other to improve, making the entire team better.
Glenn is committed to turning around the Jets’ culture of losing. To his credit, he quickly named Fields the starting QB, pulling the plug on Tyrod Taylor. The decision marks another aggressive move in Glenn’s plan to develop a competitive roster through the draft and trades. In particular, he noted that even though Fields is officially listed as Quarterback 1, competition is still extremely important. “Just because you’re one on the depth chart, that’s all written in pencil,” he remarked. “This league is about competition, and the elite athletes, they thrive on that.”
The Jets aren’t making any bones about their plan to move forward. Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand are focused on making sure Fields goes through rigorous training in the spring program. They plan to tailor their offensive strategies around Fields’ unique skill set, focusing on maximizing his potential in the drop-back game. Based on their interactions, Glenn showed huge confidence in Fields’ capabilities. He added, “Talent is going to really define who we have on that offensive line.”
Even with his attention on Fields, Glenn stuck to the idea that every single player needs to stay alert and fight for their jobs. He promised fans that both Fields and Taylor would be central figures in the team’s “cultural blueprint.” “So just because [Fields] is Quarterback 1 doesn’t mean that Tyrod’s not gonna be on this hill,” he said. He said, “Everybody has to have, you gotta have, a depth chart. That’s what this league is. But there’s gonna be competition.
Glenn’s appointment as head coach marks the fourth time in eight seasons that the Jets have changed leadership at this level. Fans and management alike are expecting great things with his arrival. He wants to create a winning culture top-to-bottom within the organization. He understands that the next step forward is changing his offensive and defensive approaches. He empowers players to make plays, rather than committing dogmatically to a game plan.
“When it comes to the type of offense that you’re gonna run, offense and defense is built around the personnel that you have,” Glenn stated. He thinks it’s too soon to characterize what the team is all about. First, they have to figure out what they can individually accomplish together on the field. “We’ve need understand what we have,” he continued.
The Jets would be taking a significant gamble by investing in Fields. This decision is intended to enhance their success in what most would agree is the most important position in sports. Glenn does not think there is anything odd about this decision. More than anything, he stresses, it reflects a deep commitment to the idea of constructing a team capable of competing for championships.
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