Aaron Glenn woke up early on Wednesday, around 3:30 a.m. He found it hard to go back to sleep and decided to check his phone. There was a message from his wife, Devanny.
It simply said, “Just be an ag.”
After his first training camp practice, Glenn shared, “That’s what I’m going to do—right, wrong, or indifferent. My work ethic won’t change. My mindset won’t change. To be honest, I was really excited.”
The energy Glenn has injected into the Jets franchise is quite noticeable. Following a difficult season with Aaron Rodgers and the breakup with Robert Saleh, the Jets desperately needed a turnaround—something that goes beyond just fixing the locker room issues.
They need the dynamism that the 53-year-old former cornerback has brought since Woody Johnson brought him on board in January.
Glenn referred to himself as “The Real thing,” and that’s a statement hard to dispute. When he talks, he seems genuine. Sure, he might have a bit of an edge, but that’s just who he is.
As he noted, “Players can tell when someone is being fake. They’ve been around the game too long. They take pride in being themselves. This is just me. I think players recognize that.”
During practice on Wednesday, he was all over the training field as the Jets gathered for their first camp session at Flowham Park. Glenn moved from one position group to another, wearing a sweatshirt with the word “grind” emblazoned on the back. He stirred enthusiasm among the offensive linemen before methodically making his way across the field to another team segment.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” Glenn mentioned.
It was quite a journey for him, from being a player during Bill Parcells’s transformative era to experiencing success as a defensive backs coach while watching Sean Payton maintain high performance. As a defensive coordinator, he helped Dan Campbell improve the Lions.
Glenn shared that he really started contemplating how to lead a team after his first head coaching interview with the Saints.
He said, “That’s when I realized it was time to start thinking about it. I’m not sure what the future holds, but I had to start considering how I would approach it. I’ve kept notes since then and compiled insights over my four years in Detroit.”
At Jets training camp, Glenn feels ready to take on the responsibilities of head coach, particularly in his planning.
When the Jets hit the field just after 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, Glenn was prepared. The practice was shorter than what he’d experienced in previous training camps, which didn’t have the same gradual buildup.
So far, Glenn has navigated his coaching role without significant setbacks, but, then again, the scoreboard hasn’t reflected victories just yet. He’s the latest in a line of coaches aiming to revitalize a franchise that hasn’t won a division title in 23 years and has missed the playoffs for 14 seasons in a row.
Now, they’re looking to the man who was a first-round draft pick way back in 1994, hoping he’ll lead them to success.
Glenn comments, “I understand what it means to be a Jet. I know the ups and downs the fans have experienced. I may hail from here, but I’ve never felt the weight of that history until now.”
