Al Iannazzone: Aaron Glenn rachets up the intensity as Jets open OTAs
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The message was made very clear to Jets’ players who would be back for a second year under Aaron Glenn. He told them to make sure they’re ready for OTAs, so they don’t have to get ready.
Glenn’s message was received, and it’s a good sign for a team that went 3-14 and hasn’t made the playoffs for 15 straight years. The Jets have a lot of ground to make up, and Glenn wanted them to hit it running rather than go through a ramp-up period.
“The expectation when we got here was, ‘We're going to be going,’” veteran defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said Tuesday. “People approached the offseason with a lot more intensity.”
Starting center Josh Myers noted there is a more of a “sense of urgency” than last year, and it starts at the top with Glenn.
It’s hardly a secret that this is an important season for Glenn and his job security. There is no set number on how many games the Jets need to win for Glenn to return for a third season as head coach. It’s safe to say if the Jets make the playoffs, Glenn’s seat will no longer be hot.
That’s asking a lot for a turnaround that dramatic, but players always have high optimism and confidence in what they can accomplish. Making the Super Bowl was a goal last season, but receiver Garrett Wilson said they believe it’s possible now.
“This year, second year, it feels a little different,” Wilson said. “We can talk about the Super Bowl. We can talk about the playoffs, stuff like that because we've been putting in [work] . . . As competitors, we want to go do it at the highest level, and every day that's what we're working towards. And it feels like we can do it.”
This is where it starts: in offseason practices, learning the new offense and defense, correcting mistakes and then trying to fix things so the same things don’t happen again.
Glenn opened up his Tuesday news conference by commending his players for their attendance and willingness to work during these voluntary sessions of the offseason program. He said it shows they’re “all in.” The focus right now, Glenn said, is on “the details and the execution” and “just making sure we’re on point.”
It’s easier to do that when the players are ready physically and mentally for the grind. It also becomes easier when you have players who are consummate professionals and can lead with their voice or their play.
The additions of 14-year veteran linebacker Demario Davis and five-time Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick were exactly what the defense needed, what the Jets needed. They’ve both being doing it at a high level for a long time and have gravitas. Their voices and the way they carry themselves matter.
Fitzpatrick, who played for the Dolphins and Steelers previously, said the Jets have “a very great dynamic” of good veterans at important positions and “young, hungry guys.” The one thing they all have in common is they want to win.
“I would definitely attest to that sense of urgency,” Fitzpatrick said. “AG learned a lot from his first year — good, bad, and ugly. I think he wants to not just show the world but show us that he's a guy that wants to win, he knows how to win. First year is always tough for any head coach. There’s a lot of adjustments and I think he is excited to apply what he's learned to Year 2.
“We have a lot of guys that came from across the league. Some guys have been on winning programs and some guys haven’t. I think just with that blend, everybody's bringing what they learned from those programs to really take the next step.”
Phillips was the leader of the Jets last year and he wasn’t with the team in OTAs. They acquired him from Minnesota in late August. Phillips welcomes Davis and Fitzpatrick in the leadership club and for what they will do for the defense.
“I'm super thankful to have other allies to help shape this thing in the direction that we want,” Phillips said. “It’s really nice to have other brothers that are like-minded.”
Phillips added how important it is to have “elite communicators and high IQ football players at every level, somebody up front, somebody in the backer row, and somebody in the back end.”
Phillips, Davis and Fitzpatrick should have that covered. The Jets also feel that they’re in good hands at quarterback with a more seasoned and mature version of Geno Smith than he was in his first time as a Jet.
These veterans have helped foster the sense of urgency that Glenn brought to this offseason program. The Jets already know they had better return for training camp at the end of July ready to go.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
