Overreactions are king.
There is never enough time to step back, take a deep breath, and dissect the nuances of a situation. No, sir. Not in a world where the rapid-fire dopamine shots of TikTok once reigned (yes, once reigned). Instant gratification is all the rage. Spewing hot takes in response to what you just saw is the only way to grab someone’s attention before they scroll more.
This applies to NFL fans as much as any other group. And we’re seeing it in full force after Saturday’s divisional playoff games, particularly as it pertains to the New York Jets’ head coaching search.
The 15-win Detroit Lions went one-and-done in the 2024-25 NFL playoffs, losing 45-31 at home to the sixth-seeded Washington Commanders. The primary culprit was the Lions’ defense, which yielded 481 yards of offense while recording zero sacks and zero takeaways (although an offense with five turnovers was not off the hook).
Thus, ire has been direct toward the leader of the unit, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who also happens to be one of the leading candidates for the Jets’ head coaching vacancy.
Oh, brother.
Glenn was a great candidate after his first 11 years as an NFL coach, including four acclaimed seasons as a defensive coordinator. But after this one bad game against an elite offense with a preseason-caliber defense on the field, he’s off the board! What a scrub!
Come on, people. I know we’re all trained by today’s social media world to vociferate the most obnoxious take we can think of to generate maximum likes – which does nothing to benefit ourselves but only further services the financial gain of the app we’re using, although that’s another discussion – but we’re better than this.
It is not all that difficult to take 10 seconds and Google how many players the Lions’ defense has on injured reserve. I’m not even being hyperbolic here.
I just ran a stopwatch on my phone and challenged myself to see how long it would take to get that answer. And in 10.34 seconds, I had not only seen that the Lions have 16 players on IR, but I was able to go into an article and count for myself that 12 of them are defensive players.
What a concept! Maybe thinking isn’t overrated, Woody Johnson.
Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, Kyle Peko, Marcus Davenport, John Cominsky, Mekhi Wingo, Nate Lynn, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, Khalil Dorsey, Carlton Davis, Dennis Rakestraw Jr. – all out.
On top of that, if you watched the game and paid attention, you would have seen that Amik Robertson, who started the game at cornerback after multiple other corners were already out, exited the game after two snaps.
Injury woes are one thing. What the Lions dealt with this year was unprecedented. Buddy Ryan wouldn’t have coached his way around this caliber of talent depletion.
But Aaron Glenn stinks, because @SznTixHolderSince74 watched his first full Lions game of the year, and the defense gave up a lot of points.
Nevermind that over a 17-game body of work while playing in the NFL’s toughest division, Glenn led the Lions to fifth-best in defensive DVOA (per FTN Fantasy) despite all of the aforementioned injuries. Nevermind that Glenn improved the Lions’ defensive DVOA ranking in four consecutive seasons after inheriting the 32nd-ranked unit. Nevermind that Glenn showed admirable philosophical adaptability each year by constantly adjusting the Lions’ coverage tendencies.
Nobody has to like Glenn as a candidate for the Jets. A very reasonable argument can be made as to why Jets should not hire him. There are a plethora of legitimate concerns, as there are with any candidate (or else they wouldn’t be available). With that said, a “very reasonable” argument cannot revolve around one playoff game where the man had almost nothing to work with.
If you liked Glenn before and are skeptical now, you’re overreacting. Do not allow one game to override what you thought of him based on everything that happened up until last night, just because it’s the freshest thing on your mind.
If you didn’t like Glenn before and are using this game as evidence for your argument, you’re just trying to push an agenda, and you need to build a stronger case with more logical points if you want people to put stock into your claims. Cite the dangers of hiring a defensive head coach, the risk of adhering to a man-heavy defensive scheme without the talent to match, or your concern over the questionable coaches he might choose as his OC, and you have the makings of a valid argument.
For evidence on how foolish it is to judge a coaching candidate based on his last outing, look no further than the coach who eliminated Glenn’s Lions, Dan Quinn.
Do you remember how Quinn’s last game as Dallas’ defensive coordinator went? No, you probably don’t now that Quinn is on top of the world, but I’ll remind you: his Cowboys defense allowed 41 points to the seventh-seeded Packers in a one-and-done home loss, after a season where Dallas finished fourth-best in defensive DVOA.
Sound familiar? Surely, the Commanders should have taken that as a warning not to hire Quinn, and teams interested in Glenn should do the same.
Whether it’s an argument about Glenn or anything else in football (or in life), it would be nice if the online community could gradually lessen its dependence on overreactions. Of course, that is wishful thinking, but a random guy who writes about the New York Jets can dream.
Eh, that won’t happen. And who am I to talk, anyway? I use Twitter (yes, that’s what it’s called) every day to provide groundbreaking opinions on crucial subjects, such as why I think Micheal Clemons is a liability on the edge, so I’m no better.
Anyway, I’ve said my piece. Time to get back on the timeline and tell the world why I think Ben Johnson is an overrated head coaching candidate.
Onward with the hot takes!