There is a reason why the New York Jets began a regime change this offseason. The 20-36 record under head coach Robert Saleh was never going to be good enough.
There was one thing that Saleh did very well, though. And it is something that the new regime under Aaron Glenn is complimentary of.
In a rare moment following the first day of Jets minicamp practice Tuesday, Glenn explained exactly that.
Jets Credit Previous Regime
When the Jets were searching for a new head coach, one of the fanbase’s main requests was they wanted a culture setter. New York certainly got that in Glenn.
As a former Bill Parcells disciple, the former Pro Bowl cornerback turned coach has had a clear message on how he builds his culture.
Spoiler alert, it comes down to the people in the building.
“Culture is all about people,” Glenn said Tuesday. “So, you bring the right people in the building, that determines what kind of culture you’re going to have. “
Luckily for Glenn, the Jets don’t have to worry too much about the players already inside Florham Park. The organization spent most of the Saleh era trying to find the right combination of players and people to develop a nurturing environment for the team.
In some ways, Saleh did succeed in that goal. It’s something that Glenn was adamant about on Tuesday.
“I give the guys, before this regime, before we got here, credit, because listen, we don’t have any just bad guys,” Glenn explained. “I think we have a bunch of good guys on his team. So, I give those guys a lot of credit for the guys they have here.
“Our job is to make sure we steer them in the right direction the way that we want to play football, the way that we want to operate, the way we want this building to be.”
Glenn is not the first coach to credit his predecessors for putting them in a position for success. Before Buffalo Bills head coach Mark Levy took the job in 1986, he credited the previous regime for giving his group the assets to add quality players like Thurman Thomas, Jim Kelly, and others to the roster.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher took over in 1992 following over 20 years with Chuck Noll at the helm. Noll had rebuilt the Steelers roster to the point where Cowher was able to be a perennial playoff contender early in his tenure.
There’s no guarantee Glenn will have that kind of luck. It shows the kind of person he is that he was complimentary of the previous regime for providing assets that he can use to his advantage.
That doesn’t mean Saleh is absolved from his struggles, either. Bad head coaches are that way for a number of different reasons. Saleh was given plenty of time to turn the Jets around and couldn’t get it done.
Perhaps Glenn, with many of Saleh’s players, will be able to have more luck.
Being able to turn the culture of the organization is an important first step. With the players already assembled, it appears Glenn has already accomplished that through the first few months of his tenure.
