First day of Jets training camp has Aaron Glenn wide awake and ready to 'make sure that pain goes away' for fans
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Aaron Glenn had trouble sleeping the night before running his first training camp practice as an NFL head coach. He got up around 3:30 a.m. and never went back to bed.
Glenn grabbed his phone and read a text from his wife that she sent about an hour earlier, telling him to just be himself. The Jets’ new coach, who prides himself on being authentic, knew his wife was right.
“That’s who I’m going to be — right, wrong and indifferent,” Glenn said Wednesday morning. “Nothing's going to change about how I operate, nothing’s going to change about the way that I think. But man, I was excited.
“When I woke up at that time, I didn't go back to sleep. I don't think I'll go back to sleep anytime soon now because now we have this whole day — and we have things we got to get done.”
Glenn, a disciple of Bill Parcells and Sean Payton, said he waited “a long time” for this. He spent 11 seasons as a position coach and defensive coordinator before getting a shot to lead his own team.
A Jets’ first-round pick in 1994, Glenn is the latest coach trying to turn around a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs for 14 years or reached the Super Bowl since 1969. Glenn said he feels the organization's and fans’ “pain” and he wants to make it go away.
“I know what it's like to be a Jet,” Glenn said. “Listen, I know the pain, I know all the things that the fans have been through. I might have been gone from here, but I was never gone in spirit, so I get it. And that sticks with me like a ton.
“I understand the pain and I'm hoping, I'm praying, and I expect to make sure that pain goes away. And I think about that every day.”
Glenn and first-time general manager Darren Mougey have made some moves that could jump-start the change in culture and results.
The Jets gave long-term extensions to Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson before camp began, eliminating potential distractions and drama so the focus is all football.
Glenn called them “foundational players” and said he “wanted to set a precedent.” Glenn wants the players to feel appreciated and know that he and Mougey will do everything to succeed where so many others have failed.
During the nearly six-week break before the first practice, Glenn enjoyed some family time but also was preparing for this day. That included some “self-help,” as he spoke to other coaches to see how they operated.
The message Glenn gave his players before practice set the tone for what’s expected of them. The Super Bowl is the goal, but Glenn told the Jets that camp will be highly competitive where every player fights for everything and carries that to the games.
“Our guys know it's not just about the playbook, it's about the play style,” Glenn said.
The players have bought in and believe in Glenn. He thinks a big reason is his authenticity.
“Players know a fake,” Glenn said.
New Jets quarterback Justin Fields described Glenn as “super personal” and “straightforward.”
“He keeps it very blunt,” Fields said. “But I think our relationship is very good when it comes to that, personally and just being on the same page with how we want to lead this team. He’s great.”
Center Joe Tippmann called Glenn “an intense guy” that has everyone’s attention.
“He's somebody who wants to establish a culture and he's definitely doing that — through our meetings, through practice, through OTAs,” Tippmann said. “It's just been great to kind of get the ball rolling with that.”
This has been a long time coming for Glenn. He may be a little sleep deprived, but he won’t rest until he helps the Jets become a contender.
Center competition
Tippmann admitted he was taken “by surprise” when the Jets signed former Packers starting center Josh Myers, who played with Fields at Ohio State. Tippmann said Glenn called him first, though, and told him the situation. Tippmann understands he’s competing for the job and said, “It's something that's only going to make me better.”
Two-minute drill
Fields met up in Florida with receivers and tight ends to get extra work in and build better relationships . . . The Jets signed former UFL offensive lineman Samuel Jackson and moved linebacker Aaron Smith to the active roster from the Active/Non-Football Injury List.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
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