Dan Campbell’s latest praise for a first-year head coach landed with a sting for Jets fans, because it was the kind of compliment he never really gave Aaron Glenn’s team.
With the Lions set to face the Dolphins in Week 9, Campbell was asked about Miami, and he pointed to a group that has stayed competitive despite its record. The Dolphins are 1-6, but Campbell said they’ve shown the kind of fight and identity that reminds him of Detroit’s early turnaround.
“Each of these games has been one-score games; two weeks ago they beat the Jets there... Coach Hafley has done a good job in his first year.
Lot of similarities to... just reminds me a little of what we were... They’re young, they’re hungry, they’re active, they run, they hit, they hustle, they finish, they try to play disciplined ball.
And they’re playing that way.”
That’s the contrast that hangs over Glenn’s tenure in New York. Glenn came to the Jets after serving as Detroit’s defensive coordinator from 2021 to 2024, helping call plays for Campbell and playing a major role in the Lions’ turnaround. The Jets hired him to bring that same edge and identity with him.
Instead, through a year and a half on the job, Glenn is 5-20, and the Jets still haven’t really taken on the hard-nosed identity they were hoping for. Over their last 25 games, they’ve never quite matched the kind of scrappy, physical attitude the Lions became known for.
Campbell did offer some praise for Glenn’s Jets after their Week 3 meeting, saying “they played hard” and “they take on the identity of that head coach,” but he stopped well short of comparing them to the Year 1 Lions.
For Jets fans, that’s the painful part. Campbell’s comments about Miami sounded like a blueprint. His comments about New York never quite got there.
In Other News...
Jets Still See Value In Geno Smith For A Bigger Reason
With the Jets sitting at 2-6 and the playoff picture fading fast, there is still a reason to keep Geno Smith in the building beyond whatever happens this season. The veteran quarterback has become part of the teams evaluation process, giving the staff a steadier reference point as it looks at the younger pieces around him and tries to sort out what actually works.
For now, Smiths value appears tied less to the trade market and more to what he can do for the rosters development. New York seems intent on using his presence to help gauge and grow young talent such as Allen, Adonai Mitchell, Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr., which makes his role a little bigger than a short-term asset at the deadline. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Offense Finally Showed Life As One New Concern Emerged
The Jets finally got a more dynamic version of their passing game in recent weeks, with Geno Smith pushing the ball downfield more often and the offense looking far more functional than it did earlier in the season. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich has helped create chances for multiple receivers to post 100-yard games, a sign that the unit is at least capable of stretching defenses and making life a little easier on a team that has needed more consistency from its offense.
Garrett Wilsons recent production has become the new concern, especially with the trade deadline approaching and the Jets trying to figure out how much help this passing game still needs. Even with the offense showing more life, Wilsons status looms large because he remains one of the key pieces in any long-term answer for Smith and the rest of the passing attack. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Pressure Just Spiked Around Garrett Wilson And The Chiefs
Garrett Wilsons week took an unwelcome turn when Aaron Glenn ruled him out for Week 9 after the concussion he sustained in Week 8. The timing is rough for a Jets offense already trying to find its footing, and it leaves New York heading into a matchup with the Chiefs without its most important receiver available to help stretch the field and steady the passing game.
Wilsons absence also lands at a moment when the conversation around him is starting to pick up again ahead of the NFL trade deadline. For a Jets team still sorting through its direction, losing a player of Wilsons caliber only adds another layer to a situation that already had plenty of moving parts. [Read more 🡒]