As you parse through the endless analysis of today’s news that the New York Jets have hired Aaron Glenn as the 22nd head coach in their history, keep in mind most of us expounding our wisdom have never had a conversation with the man, let alone been in the room with him while he was being interviewed.
Reportedly, that room consisted of Woody & Christopher Johnson (owners), Hymie Elhai (Jets President), Rick Spielman & Mike Tannenbaum (“33rd Team” consultants). As someone who has hired hundreds of individuals over the course of my career, there’s only so much that can be ascertained based on resumes, analytics and YouTube snippets. Looking someone in the eye, listening to their pitch and trying to decipher what’s in their heart is the key to good hiring.
As much as I have personally bashed Woody since he fired Robert Saleh on October 8th, I’ve rarely had a problem with the coaches (other than Adam Gase) or executives (other than John Idzik) that he’s hired. He’s pretty good at hiring. He’s not good at not interfering with them at the first sign of trouble. But hey, that’s a story for a year or two down the road. In general, once a new regime comes into power, they are given a honeymoon period.
Ultimately, the reason why some of Woody’s hires had a modicum of success while others didn’t, came down to talent. Herman Edwards, Eric Mangini and Rex Ryan all made the playoffs in their first seasons due to inheriting a talented roster. Todd Bowles, Gase and Robert Saleh were not as fortunate.
It has been reported by Rich Cimini of ESPN and others that Aaron Glenn has long considered the New York Jets his “dream job”. As Jet fans, that is awesome to hear. But Glenn knows better than most how hard it is to get one of these 32 jobs, and how much harder it is to get a second chance if your first stop doesn’t go well.
My guess, and it’s only a guess because I was unfortunately not invited to partake in the interview process, Glenn is excited about working with a roster that many experts considered one of the most talented in the league just a few, short months ago.
Read our take on the Jets roster from last month.
Finally, the one thing that has resonated with me after digesting today’s news, is the Glenn is not just the hot coordinator. That’s more of his partner in Detroit, Ben Johnson, who yesterday became the Chicago Bears Head Coach. Glenn’s plaudits are more about who is he as a person, who he is as a leader, and his overall knowledge and experience at every level in football (1st round pick, Pro Bowl player, scout, assistant coach, coordinator).
Sounds like the Jets may have hired someone who is ready out of the gate to coach the entire team, and not just one side of the ball. Now, that will be a welcomed change.
