Al Iannazzone: A 2-0 start for Jets would go a long way toward the culture Aaron Glenn is trying to establish
Jets coach Aaron Glenn reacts after a game against the Titans on Sept. 13, 2026 in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: Getty Images/Chris Carter
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - It’s been a long time since the Jets won their first two games of the season. Eleven years to be exact. That 2015 season was also the last time the Jets finished with a winning record. It’s all part of an ugly past that Aaron Glenn is trying to change.
The Jets’ Week 1 performance was a good confidence builder. This week they have the opportunity to make a statement.
Glenn’s team imposed its will on Tennessee and did to the Titans what just about every team did to the Jets last season. Is it sustainable or were the Jets one-hit wonders? They could answer that in resounding fashion by beating Green Bay in their home opener on Sunday.
The Packers are a big step up in class from Tennessee. They have been a playoff team the past three seasons. A win would make an early statement that Glenn has tapped into something with this version of the Jets.
“Each week, we’re trying to make a statement,” Glenn said Wednesday. “It doesn’t matter who it is. We all know our history and we’re trying to change that history.”
That dreadful history includes no Super Bowl appearances since 1969 and no postseason games since 2011. This game won’t break either mark, but it certainly would be a step in the right direction for the franchise and for the kind of program that Glenn wants to build.
The Packers are a marquee organization and one of the franchises that are viewed differently because of their tradition and history. Garrett Wilson said a Jets’ win would make a strong statement.
“For sure,” Wilson said. “We want to earn our respect in this league. We know that you do that by playing good football every week.”
MetLife Stadium should be rocking after what the Jets accomplished in Tennessee. Jets fans know all too well what it’s like to get their hopes up only to see them shattered, though.
In recent years, look no further than Aaron Rodgers’ debut in 2023, the 6-3 start in 2022 or winning the first game of Sam Darnold’s career in 2018. They all ended in heartbreak and misery. There’s so much more.
Beating Green Bay won’t change that or guarantee future success for the Jets. For Wilson, though, “that means we’re starting off on the right foot.”
The Jets can never seem to do that. It has taken its toll on Wilson. No one hates losing more than him. He’s been through way too much of it in his four previous seasons with the Jets. He feels for the fans who have been on the Jets’ roller-coaster of emotions for much longer.
“Their loyalty is never in question,” Wilson said. “There hasn’t been much to root for, and we’re all aware of that. We owe it to them. And that’s just the mindset.”
Wilson has expressed confidence that this could be a “special year” for the Jets. He pointed to all the changes on the roster and coaching staff, but Wilson also believes in Glenn. He has strong support in the locker room.
Glenn, the former Jets’ cornerback, feels he has unfinished business from his time as a player. He was on the 1998 Jets that lost in the AFC Championship Game to Denver. Now in his second season as coach, Glenn is obsessed with becoming the coach to turn around the Jets and building something sustainable.
During the offseason, Glenn said he wants “to leave a legacy” and build a team “that consistently puts themselves in a place to win.”
Many coaches have said similar things. Robert Saleh brought his “All Gas, No Brake” mantra to the Jets in 2021 and said the goal was “to win championships.” Glenn doesn’t have any catchy slogans. He’s all business all the time. Glenn’s sole focus is on establishing and enforcing habits and a style of play that lead to success.
Glenn believes there were a number of things the Jets did in Week 1 that are sustainable, particularly how competitive and tough-minded they were. The Jets were neither last year.
“Being a tough-minded team, to me, separates winning and losing for the most part,” Glenn said.
Glenn wants the Jets to become a team that plays for 60 minutes. He said they were close, but his defense came up a little short, allowing a touchdown on Tennessee’s final drive. However, Glenn highlighted the “connective energy” shared by the entire team.
“Once you start to build those things within your program,” Glenn said, “for the most part, they start to stick and it becomes a part of your DNA.”
Glenn’s mission is to make winning a part of the Jets’ DNA. A victory Sunday would be a good start, and it would make a strong early statement.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
