Jets Insider: Aaron Glenn channels his inner Herm Edwards when discussing his team's situation

Aaron Glenn reached back into the Jets’ archives of famous sound bites and channeled Herm Edwards. Well, almost.

Glenn was asked why the Jets are putting trying to win above positioning themselves to get the best draft pick possible.

“I'm going to give you a line that you guys heard before,” Glenn said. “You play the game to win.”

Edwards said it a little differently in 2002.

“You play to win the game. Hello?” he said. “You play to win the game. You don't play to just play it.''

The Jets were 2-5 at the time, finished 9-7 and made the playoffs. Glenn’s Jets (2-9) are close to being eliminated from playoff contention for the 15th straight year.

It will be another important offseason for the franchise. The Jets have two first- and two second-round picks and many areas to address, but Glenn’s focus in the final six games is to win as many games as possible, even though that potentially could hurt them in the draft.

“It's just not in a coach or player's mentality to go out there and lose games,” Glenn said. “We're not built that way. We're built to go out there and play as hard as we can and try to get as many wins as we can. And then we let everything else take care of itself as far as draft and all that.”

If there was any question about whether the Jets are trying to win, 36-year-old quarterback Tyrod Taylor will start his second consecutive game on Sunday against the Falcons at MetLife Stadium.

Glenn could have stuck with Justin Fields and continued to try to develop him, but he owed it to the other players to make a change. He didn’t give the football to undrafted rookie Brady Cook. He gave it to Taylor because he gives the Jets the best chance to win.

“There are some long-term goals that we have because we have to have a blueprint, we have to have a vision,” Glenn said. “But we're in the now of trying to get things done now. Never get that mixed up.”

The Jets currently have the fourth pick in the draft. Quarterback is a necessity. The Jets have been linked to Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. If they’re not in position to take him, they have the draft capital to trade up.

That’s for later. The Jets have a winnable game against the Falcons, who have lost five of six. Glenn wants to win. Every win hurts the Jets' draft position but helps Glenn’s foundation and culture-building. That’s what he cares about now.

Woody's world

Jets owner Woody Johnson has expressed confidence that Glenn can turn around the team. The two have a good relationship and talk frequently. Glenn described their conversations as “good” and “honest,” and he appreciates that they speak freely to each other.

“I'm not going to BS him and he's not going to BS me,” Glenn said. “There are some things that he wants to see us get better at, but there's some things that I explain to him, ‘Here's the reasons why, and here's where we're going.’ He does see those things. That doesn't take the fact away of him wanting to win now and me wanting to win now.

“I do enjoy those conversations with him, and that's one thing I do respect about him as a man: He's going to tell me exactly what he thinks, but he knows in turn I’m going to tell him exactly what I think also.”

Giving thanks and making plays

Linebacker Quincy Williams is thankful for former Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and linebackers coach Mike Rutenberg helping his development. Both are on the Falcons' staff now. Williams can’t wait to see both men Sunday and show them what they created.

“I’m going to whoop their [expletive],” Williams told Newsday. “I ain't going to lie to you. I'm whooping their [expletive].”

Ulbrich, who went 3-9 as interim coach last season after replacing Robert Saleh, pushed for the Jets to claim Williams off waivers in 2021. He was an All-Pro two years later.

“Sunday is going to give me a good chance to [show] everything that he taught me, the reason why I’m All-Pro and stuff like that,” Williams said. “I'm going to give thanks, but I'm going to whip his [expletive].”

Fields no fan of gadget plays

Fields said there have been discussions about him being used in certain packages or trick plays. He'll do it, but he has “mixed feelings.”

Used that way for Pittsburgh last year after Russell Wilson replaced him as the starter, Fields said he had the most soft tissue injuries of his career. He missed two games after getting hurt in Week 15.

“I pride myself on being a team player, on being able to do anything I can to help the team,” he said. “I think it's just tough, sitting on the sideline, and especially cold conditions, and you're just not warmed up, and you come in for a play that's not necessarily for a touchdown . . .  The case last year, I got like 8 yards on a play, and I end up getting this soft tissue injury that sidelined me for a couple of weeks.”

Breece vs. Bijan

Breece Hall’s 75 receiving yards last week led the Jets. They should look for him in the passing game similar to the way Atlanta does with Bijan Robinson.

Both players are dual-threat running backs. Robinson ranks fourth among backs with 49 catches and second with 543 receiving yards. He’s fourth in the NFL in scrimmage yards (1,396). Hall has 28 receptions (15th), 301 receiving yards (fifth) and 1,067 scrimmage yards (11th).

Glenn called the Hall-Robinson comparison “really good” and added, “I like our guy.”

Number of note

The Jets still have zero interceptions and only one takeaway through 11 games. Every other team has at least six takeaways. There are 159 players with more interceptions than the Jets.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.