Aaron Glenn may still be standing today, but Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins felt like the kind that leaves a stain.
The Jets are 0-8 against the AFC East under Glenn, have dropped 10 of their last 11 against the division and are 3-14 against Miami across their last 17 games. That’s not a rough patch. That’s a body of work that starts to define a coach.
And this one was ugly from the jump. The Jets’ defense - Glenn’s defense - got picked apart by a career backup quarterback and a Dolphins team that had not won a game coming in, right from the opening drive.
Still, there is a small bit of context here that keeps this from looking like the worst possible collapse. Miami may have been the most dangerous 0-5 team in football history.
Three of its five losses came against the NFL’s only three remaining unbeaten teams, and the other two were against solid clubs with winning records. The combined record of the Dolphins’ first five opponents heading into Sunday was 24-5.
That doesn’t make the Jets’ performance good. It just means the step backward may not have been as dramatic as it first looked.
What made the whole thing worse for Glenn was how he handled the aftermath. The answers were all too familiar: “We need to get better at that.”
“I'll have to go back and look at that.”
“It starts with me.”
Those are fine if you’re introducing yourself to a new fan base in September. Seven weeks into a season with losses piling up, they land flat.
At this point, people want more than polite filler. They want to hear that the coach actually understands what happened.
That matters even more when the conversation is about a defense you took over yourself. If that side of the ball gets exposed, the response can’t stop at a blanket statement.
Coaches are supposed to explain why a call was made, how the opponent answered it, and where the breakdown happened. That’s the job.
Football is always part chess, part guessing game. But a failed guess still needs to sound like an educated one.
The larger issue, though, is bigger than a postgame quote. The way a coach handles the room often says something about the way he handles the team. And right now, Glenn doesn’t sound like a man in full command.
He comes off as a decent guy who doesn’t throw players or assistants under the bus. But that doesn’t automatically make him a strong presence.
The story around him has also been shaped by little moments: the ongoing playfulness with referees, the self-dig with Aditi Kinkhabwala at halftime, and the soft-touch way he deals with the media. Put it together, and he looks like another coordinator-turned-head coach who is still figuring out the parts of the job that don’t show up on a play sheet.
That’s where the Nick Saban comparison comes in. Saban wasn’t the greatest coach in the sport because of a dazzling defensive call sheet.
He was the best because he built an environment, set the standard and kept it there. That’s what head coaching is supposed to be.
And that’s why the Jets can’t afford to treat both pieces of the job as separate experiments. Get the leadership right.
Get the football right. Then maybe worry about the rest.
For Glenn, the sympathy is real. He was drafted into dysfunction and has earned the chance he got. But his loyalty - the same trait that can make a coach valuable - may also be the thing that keeps him from getting another shot.
In Other News...
Jets Trade Deadline Could Force Tough Calls Across This Roster
With the Nov. 10 trade deadline approaching, the Jets are facing the kind of roster decisions that can quietly reshape a season before the calendar even flips to winter. Veterans on expiring contracts are already in the conversation, and the bigger issue is how a few players fit into a changing depth chart as the team evaluates both present production and future flexibility.
Among the names being discussed are Harrison Phillips, Nahshon Wright, Andre Cisco, Brandon Stephens, Jamien Sherwood and Will McDonald IV, a group that reflects how wide the possibilities are for New York. Some are veterans who could appeal to other teams, while others have seen their standing shift for different reasons, leaving the Jets to weigh whether holding onto them makes more sense than collecting value now. [Read more 🡒]
Demario Davis Is Putting The Jets In A Tough Spot
Demario Davis has long been the kind of player the Jets could lean on for steadiness in the middle of the defense, but this season has brought a different conversation. The veteran linebackers leadership and experience still matter in the room, yet his physical impact has slipped enough to be felt on Sundays, and it has shown up in a defense that has not been as consistent as the team needs.
Jamien Sherwood has taken a step forward in coverage and tackling, which should have given New York a better foundation at linebacker. Instead, the pairing has not reliably settled the unit the way the Jets hoped, leaving the defense without the kind of stability that usually comes from having an established veteran alongside a rising partner. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Trade Deadline Buzz Keeps Coming Back To One Receiver
Garrett Wilsons name keeps surfacing as the trade deadline approaches, and this latest bit of buzz came from an unlikely source. Former NFL quarterback Russell Wilson floated the idea that the Jets receiver should be on the move before Nov. 10, pointing to potential fits with contending teams and framing it as a football-style match, not just a rumor mill exercise.
The discussion matters in New York because Garrett Wilson has already voiced frustration with how hes being used this season, even while remaining under contract for the long haul. For the Jets, the question is less about whether he can help another team and more about how much noise will keep building around one of their most important offensive players as the deadline gets closer. [Read more 🡒]