OC Pick Will Go Long Way In Determining Whether Glenn Can Beat Jets’ Ugly Pattern
Excluding Bill Belichick’s one-day tenure and the interim guys like Jeff Ulbrich, the Jets will be on their eighth Head Coach since Woody Johnson bought the team at the turn of the century with Aaron Glenn reportedly accepting New York’s five-year offer on Tuesday. Glenn, a 1994 Jets first-round pick, has much in common with most of the discarded seven—this will be his first head coaching gig and he comes from a defensive background. The only time Gang Green went with an offensive play-caller was when Christopher Johnson, Woody’s brother, was duped into tabbing Adam Gase in 2019.
Hey, maybe the eighth time is a charm. Glenn has people in high regard in his corner like his former Jets coach Bill Parcells. He deserves a chance to prove he will be different.
However, what has usually doomed the prior defensive coaches wasn’t the Jets defense. The last time this team finished in the NFL’s top 10 in scoring was in 2008. Since the defensive-oriented head coaches typically take a hands-off approach to the intricacies of how the other side of the ball is run, the offensive coordinator/play-caller has an outsized hand in the team’s success or lack thereof. And if you thought the Jets HC history this century was schizophrenic, guess how many offensive coordinators they burned through in the same span? Glenn’s choice will make it a lucky 13.
And such selection will be his most crucial test in attempting to get this woebegone franchise off the ground. The new OC will at some point have to mold a young quarterback, whether the organization bids adieu to Aaron Rodgers this offseason or next. He’ll have to solve the ongoing offensive line issues (the Jets just had one of their better pass blocking seasons but the run paving was poor). And he’ll have to better prepare game plans for individual opponents so that the team doesn’t go weeks into the season without scoring an opening drive touchdown and then be able to make adjustments on the fly.
The names reportedly under consideration haven’t raised the excitement meter. SNY’s Connor Hughes posted that Rams passing game coordinator Nick Caley has already spoken with Glenn about the job. At best, he’s third on that offensive staff’s depth chart behind HC and play-caller Sean McVay and former Jets OC Mike LaFleur. The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt has Saints OC Klint Kubiak, who is expected to leave the team when they announce their new coach, as “in the mix.” Heaven forbid if Glenn goes with Washington running backs coach Anthony Lynn, who famously flamed out when he was Chargers HC. Then there’s the real outliers like John Morton, a former Jets CC who came and went after one season and now works on Denver’s staff, and Todd Haley, who has been out of the league since 2018.
From the above list, I guess Kubiak wouldn’t be the worst choice if he is left out of the remaining HC circus. He is said to be in contention for the Seahawks job. He has play-calling experience and has worked with some of the brightest offensive minds in the game, including his father, Gary.
We’re also going under the assumption that Glenn has full say on his choices for assistant positions. We know from the past that such power hasn’t always been granted by Johnson. He’s been a meddler and a penny-pincher when it comes to support staff.
It's still early enough in the process that other names could pop up, but this anxiety is what happens when you go with a defense guy as HC. It’s just so much easier to find a defensive coordinator than an offensive play-caller.
Except the Jets certainly have no problem with testing Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity. Glenn needs to nail his OC pick to have a chance at finally passing that test.