If Aaron Glenn is going to keep his job with the New York Jets, one reason may be pretty simple: Woody Johnson appears to be behind him.
After Sunday’s Week 7 loss to the Miami Dolphins, the question around the Jets is no longer just whether Glenn can fix things. It’s whether the organization is already at the point of deciding, and if not, whether that decision is coming at all this season.
The results have been rough enough that a coaching change would not be a shock. But according to a new report, Glenn may still have something working in his favor that Robert Saleh never did.
“Johnson wants Glenn to succeed. The owner is invested in him in a way he never was with Glenn’s predecessor, Robert Saleh. The owner and head coach have known each other for a couple of decades, and by all accounts Johnson has mostly stayed out of the way, letting Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey succeed, or fail, on their own merit.
“To this point, it has been a failure. It’s not as if the Jets lack talent in the same way that they did a year ago.
Now, the issues have been more about the way Glenn and his coaching staff is using that talent (or, in the case of Garrett Wilson, not using it). It’s about the way Glenn and offensive coordinator Frank Reich have struggled to adjust over the course of games.
Four of five losses have been by single digits - games the Jets have routinely been losing at the margins,” Zack Rosenblatt wrote.
That lines up with the sense around the team right now: Johnson is not hovering over everything the way he has in the past. For the most part, he has let Glenn and Darren Mougey handle the operation without much interference.
Whether that’s a good thing is another story. The Jets’ play has been bad enough that hands-off ownership doesn’t exactly feel like a cure. But it does seem to be the reality, and if Glenn does end up getting another shot to turn things around, that connection with Johnson may be a big reason why.
In Other News...
Mike Tomlin Just Put The Jets Biggest Late-Game Problem On Blast
The Jets loss to the Dolphins only added to a familiar frustration in a 2-5 start, but the bigger concern may be how quickly games have tilted against them before halftime even arrives. Under Robert Glenn, New York has repeatedly struggled in the final stretch of the first half, an issue that has become hard to ignore as the losses pile up and the margin for error shrinks.
Mike Tomlin brought that weakness into the national spotlight during NBCs Sunday Night Football coverage, underscoring just how glaring it has become for a team trying to stay afloat. For the Jets, it is not just about one bad night in Miami. It is about a pattern that keeps showing up in the same part of the game, and it now has outside voices calling attention to how costly it could be if it keeps happening. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Offense Has A Growing Joe Tippmann Problem Up Front
Pressure has been the theme around the Jets offense for most of the season, and it has only grown more obvious as Geno Smith keeps taking hits behind a line that has struggled to hold up in key moments. The concern is not just the overall unit, either. Joe Tippmann, who was rewarded with a significant contract extension, has become a spot worth watching up front as the protection issues keep showing up when the offense needs a clean pocket most.
Tippmanns early work suggested he could be part of the long-term answer, but his pass protection has tailed off enough to add another layer to the problem. When one interior lineman starts losing those one-on-one battles, the ripple effect is felt across the entire offense, and the Jets have been paying for it in drives that stall too quickly and plays that never get a chance to develop. [Read more 🡒]
Jets O Line Problems Have Put One Starter Under Serious Pressure
The Jets offensive line has been one of the seasons biggest headaches, and the issues have shown up everywhere from pass protection to the run game. With the unit struggling to keep the pocket clean and create any kind of consistent push, one starter in particular has drawn extra scrutiny as the problems continue to pile up.
Josh Myers has become the focal point of that criticism, with his play at center coming under the microscope for penalties, pressures allowed and shaky blocking in the trenches. The evaluation is blunt enough that it raises a real question about whether the Jets need to make a change there, even if the decision has not been made yet. [Read more 🡒]