Beyond the raise in pay and promotion he received, things have been going rather poorly for Aaron Glenn since leaving the Detroit Lions this offseason. The former Lions defensive coordinator is currently the head coach of the only winless team in the league, the 0-7 New York Jets. The team's disastrous start to the season has begun to take a toll on Glenn, who looks completely lost and without answers.
Before Week 7, Glenn was angry when he was asked about a potential change at quarterback. On Sunday, however, he benched Justin Fields at halftime in favor of Tyrod Taylor. The change didn't make the desired impact as the Jets still fell to the Panthers 13-6, marking their second straight game without a touchdown.
Naturally, Glenn had to answer questions about the future of the QB position in New York after the team's latest loss. The 53-year-old coach's response wasn't particularly convincing. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero shared the video of Glenn's reply, which was a bit of a word salad.
"That's something that I want to continue to look at, again, it's early on Monday," Glenn replied. "There's a lot of thought that goes in that. For me personally, and then being able to get with the staff. And then just being able to ask other coaches that have been in the situation how they handled that. I'm not running away from the question at all, [Rich]. The thing is, I want to make sure that I make the right decision. And I don't want to make rash decisions either."
Aaron Glenn Continues to Struggle in First Head Coaching Stint
On the surface, this seems like a reasonable approach to take. Consulting with your fellow coaches and colleagues to bounce ideas is understandable. At the same time, one would hope that a head coach would have a clearer vision about what he wants to do at quarterback. Yes, the Jets are a mess, and the offense is completely in the tank, but this is not an unprecedented situation. In fact, in Glenn's first season with the Lions, the team lost its first eight games, and was 0-10-1 after Week 12.
Glenn's lack of preparation for this situation, despite having been part of a Lions team that went through similar issues, must be frustrating to watch for Jets fans. Teams make in-season QB changes all the time, and Glenn shouldn't have to rely on others who have been there before.
In Glenn's defense, to play devil's advocate, the Jets probably should have a better record than 0-7. They have been competitive in most contests this season, with five out of their seven losses coming in one-possession games.
Unfortunately, however, close losses don't mean anything in the NFL. Glenn is the ultimate decision-maker and is entrusted by the organization to make the right calls to turn the season around. So far, he doesn't seem up to the task to make one of the most important calls for a head coach.