Aaron Glenn is urging Jets fans to remain patient and have faith in his approach.
However, maintaining optimism is challenging after a dreadful December, where the Jets faced four lopsided defeats.
Not only will the Jets wrap up the month without a single victory, but their performance seems to be deteriorating with a 3-13 record as the season concludes. The nadir appears elusive following their 42-10 thrashing by the Patriots on Sunday.
In the first half, New England managed to score more touchdowns (five) than the Jets could muster in first downs (three). The Patriots found the end zone on each of their initial six drives.
Drake Maye threw four touchdown passes before halftime and was substituted with 5:31 left in the third quarter after securing his fifth. To make matters worse, MetLife Stadium was overrun with Patriots fans, clad in red, white, and blue, celebrating their team while expressing their disapproval of the Jets.
During the NFL’s autumn meetings in October held in Manhattan, Jets owner Woody Johnson expressed his confidence, stating, “I do believe in Aaron.” When asked what he would convey to Johnson after Sunday’s debacle, Glenn responded that he wouldn’t “sugarcoat anything.”
“I think that’s a good thing about our relationship, is we’re all going to be straightforward with each other,” Glenn said. “The number one thing is we’ve got to get better. I think that’s obvious. We have to get better.
“I think we put our heads together and we start to figure out what steps we’ve got to take so we can accomplish that. I do know there’s a belief in me. I do know I believe in him. That’s why I’m glad I took this job, it’s because of ownership and what he’s about, what Moug is about, what this organization is about. That would be my message. I’m disappointed. I know he’s disappointed. So, now we’ve got to figure out what do we do to make sure that we get over that hump and move forward.”
When Glenn became the Jets head coach in January, he said he expected to win immediately. However, all coaches say that when they accept a job. But not many expected much from the Jets following a 5-12 season and after they released Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams and long-time captain C.J. Mosley.
But this is a more catastrophic season than many had imagined. The Justin Fields signing was a complete dud, and the Jets defense, which previously finished in the top five in yards allowed each of the past three seasons, has become one of the worst in the NFL.
The Jets have regressed on both offense and defense, which is hard to do after starting the season 0-7. They have the league’s worst passing attack, and their defense ranks 24th in yards and 30th in points allowed.
Glenn fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks following an embarrassing loss to Jacksonville two weeks ago. Sunday’s performance was just as bad under interim defensive coordinator Chris Harris, with players missing tackles and looking disinterested in covering many Patriots receivers.
“It’s just disappointing,” Jets pass rusher Jermaine Johnson said. “Embarrassing. That’s pretty much it. You know, that’s a collective as a team, as a defense. I’m sure offensively they feel the same way.”
Brady Cook started in his third straight game and looked very much like an undrafted rookie quarterback after finishing 19-of-33 for 152 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception. In four games, Cook has thrown for 679 yards, one touchdown and seven interceptions. The Jets are in evaluation mode, which is why Cook continues to start.
Gang Green has been so bad the last month that it has been outscored 153-46 in its previous four games. The lack of turnovers has been a topic of discussion all season for the Jets, who have just three defensive takeaways and zero interceptions through 16 games, which is an NFL record.
Glenn questioned the effort following the loss to the Patriots, and it is fair to wonder whether his message is still registering with many of the players. Jets guard John Simpson also agreed with Glenn’s thoughts about the lack of effort against the Patriots.
“It was unacceptable,” Simpson said. “We gotta play better. We gotta be better on offense, defense, the whole nine yards. It’s gotta be better.”
With a loss next Sunday at Buffalo, the Jets would tie the second-most losses in a season (14) in franchise history. Glenn is the third coach to lose at least 13 games during his first season (Rich Kotte, Robert Saleh).
It appears Glenn will be safe on Black Monday and will return for a second season with the Jets. The Jets likely wouldn’t have dealt both Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, two of their best defensive players, at the trade deadline unless that were the case.
But outside of draft picks, there isn’t a lot of optimism for fans to hang their hats on as the season comes to a close. The Jets will be sure to have a top-three pick with a loss against the Bills, which many fans hope will end with the team drafting either Indiana Heisman Trophy winning-quarterback Fernando Mendoza or Oregon’s Dante Moore.
But this team is not a quarterback away from contending. The Jets will have a projected $90 million to spend in free agency, and they will need it. Wholesale changes are needed on both sides of the ball just to be competitive.
Glenn has told fans, “Don’t let go of the rope.”
But for that to happen, the Jets will have to put a better product on the field than they did in Year 1 under Glenn.
“There are a lot of things that I think we’ve improved,” Glenn said. “And that’s been more from the inside than what everybody sees when it comes to stats and things like that. But I know we still have a long way to go.
“It’s not a good look when you give up that many points and then not score at all. And I’m not one that’s going to sit here and blame a rookie quarterback. I’m not going to sit here and blame injuries and things like that. I’m not going to do it. But I think all those guys are well-versed to go out there and compete at a high level and we didn’t all get it done. Coaches and players. We all did not get it done.”
