It has long been speculated, but it has now been confirmed.
Head coach Aaron Glenn revealed on Tuesday, February 24, that he will be calling plays for the New York Jets defense.
“When it comes to the coaching staff, the evaluation process took some time, and it was meant to be that way. It was a process that I enjoyed; it was a process that needed to happen, and within that process, I really started to create a vision of how I want this coaching staff to look. There were a number of things that came out of that. First and foremost is how I’m going to be with the defense. I will be the play caller when it comes to the defense. The guys that I chose to be on the staff defensively, they really complement me, and more than anything, they really complement each other,” Glenn explained at the NFL Combine.
AG Admits Mistakes He Has Made With the Staff
Last year, Coach Glenn decided to delegate the task of calling the defense to another coach.
He hired Steve Wilks, a veteran play-caller, to handle those responsibilities. Obviously, that didn’t work out. Wilks was fired with three games remaining in the season, and the Jets became the first team in NFL history to go through a season without recording a single interception.
“To me, play calling is my superpower … I really missed doing that and I think it’s a huge part of helping us become the team that I see us becoming … I’m not gonna make that same mistake [last year having someone else do it] … This is not my defense, this is gonna be the New York Jets defense,” Glenn explained during his media availability.
‘To me, play calling is my superpower … I really missed doing that & I think it’s a huge part of helping us become the team that I see us becoming … I’m not gonna make that same mistake [last year
When asked why he didn’t call plays last year, Glenn gave details on his thought process.
“Well, that’s a good question. Being a first-time head coach, in really trying to do it the right way, I felt like the best decision for me was to allow someone else to be able to do that so I could manage the game. As the season progressed and I started to get to the end of the season, I started to feel like I could still call [plays] and be able to manage it.”
Glenn explained that as a first time head coach he thought it would be best to delegate so he could ‘manage the game.’
However as they went through the season AG realized he could manage the game
Glenn Explains Ripple Effects of This Decision
“Knowing I was going to be the play caller on defense, it really took me to make the decision as far as the offensive coordinator. I really wanted to make sure that I had someone on that side who was highly experienced, and I was just fortunate enough to hire Frank Reich,” Glenn said.
Before Reich was hired, the Jets had Tanner Engstrand as their OC. He had just completed his first season as an NFL play-caller.
“I do want to make sure that you guys know, listen, just because I’m going to be involved in the defense, doesn’t mean I’m not going to be the head coach of the team. I’m going to make sure that I’m involved in all three phases. I just know that on defense, I wanted to get that part right,” Glenn said.
“I do know this, there are things that I know that I have to improve on. There are mistakes that I have made that I won’t replicate going into this season, and I feel really good about that. I feel really good about my growth process going into my second year as the head coach,” Glenn continued.
Glenn also pushed back on the rumors that owner Woody Johnson influences his decision-making. He said Mr. Johnson is there to “support” and he doesn’t push him to hire or fire coaches or tell him how he should run the team.
Aaron Glenn Breaks Silence on Calling Plays, Admits Jets Coaching Staff Mistakes