Another week, another downright brutal outcome for the New York Jets.
This time, head coach Aaron Glenn’s crew found a new way to fall short of the end goal. Week 3’s defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw them trail 23-6 entering the fourth quarter. For most of the game, being with striking distance of a victory was off the table.
That makes a comeback-turned-loss hurt even more for the team, its coaches and its fans. The latter is reintroducing a dreaded three-word phrase — “same old Jets” — in the aftermath of a 29-27 outcome.
Glenn pushes back against that narrative, though.
Aaron Glenn Says New York Isn’t the ‘Same Old Jets’ Despite Being 0-3
Speaking to the media following Sunday’s close call, Glenn tipped his tap to his players for clawing their way back into the game.
“There’s no such thing as moral victories when it comes to us,” Glenn said. “We’re not the same team. We’re not the same team at all. I’m looking forward to our next challenge, which will be against Miami. We’re going to go to work next week, continue to look at those things that we need to fix and we’re going to hone in on that. I give a lot of credit to the way these guys came out and fought. No quit in any of these guys.”
When asked what he meant by “not the same team,” Glenn delivered a fiery response about the early-season discourse surrounding his group.
Well, we’re not the same team as what everyone says: ‘Same old Jets,'” Glenn said. “These guys are going to fight, no matter the situation. There’s no give-up in them. I hate that term, and I really don’t know what that term means, but I know this: they’re not the same old Jets.
Results-wise, Glenn is right, this isn’t the same old Jets squad. A season ago, quarterback Aaron Rodgers helped lead the team to a 2-1 record through three games. This time, they were 0-2 and on the ropes. With Justin Fields missing Week 3 due to a concussion, New York relied on Tyrod Taylor and a dramatic blocked kick to compete.
NYJvsTB on FOX/FOX One t.co/HkKw7uXVnt
But in the end, it’s chalked up as another unfavorable outcome. The Jets‘ defense couldn’t get stops.
Glenn Contextualizes Rough Start as Early-Season Woes Continue
The Jets can only afford so many of those. Dating back to 1990, less than 3% of all teams to start 0-3 make the postseason. Barring something entirely unforeseen, this year’s team will live up to its billing as a rebuilding franchise. Making an in-season leap to becoming playoff caliber doesn’t appear to be in the cards.
Glenn does make a fair point regarding the team’s effort. In Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they put up 32 points and lost by just two. Week 2’s blowout at the hands of the Buffalo Bills is an immediate counter, however, as is most of Week 3’s game prior to the comeback. It’s hard to get a clear read on where the Jets stand in the NFL’s middling-to-bad landscape.
Glenn hopes it’s neither, even with evidence suggesting that’s the case.
“When it comes to the game, man, these guys fought their ass off,” Glenn said. “Love every one of those guys for how they came out in the second half. The thing is we didn’t do anything different when it comes to mentality and what we were trying to do. Obviously, the game [and] the pace has to pick up a little bit when it comes to our offense. There are just small, critical things we’ve got to get better [at], and we will do that. But today showed me a lot about who we were as a team and who we’re going to be, also.”
That Miami Dolphins matchup is not only a divisional contest, but it’s on the Monday Night Football stage. That presents an opportunity to either rise above the “same old Jets” accusations, or one to give fans even more reason to shout it out.
Aaron Glenn Responds to ‘Same Old Jets’ Accusations After Loss