Through his first year as head coach of the New York Jets, Aaron Glenn has been seen as a passionate leader. His answers to the media have sometimes been snarky or littered with accusatorial connotations.
Early on, the Jets fanbase enjoyed seeing Glenn’s pushback.
But as the losses have piled up, that same support has been replaced by anger and frustration, particularly regarding Glenn’s defense of his starting quarterback.
Justin Fields has played poorly to begin the 2025 season. In two of his five starts, he failed to pass for over 50 yards. In four straight starts, he had under 100 net passing yards before the fourth quarter.
While many fans and analysts have called for a quarterback change, Glenn has remained steadfast in his support of Fields. Wednesday morning’s defense was as succinct as ever.
Jets’ defense of Justin Fields grows
There are a number of reasons why Fields has struggled through his first month and a half in his debut year with the Jets. He has a long release and has difficulty reading defenses, causing him to be among the league leaders in time to throw.
Glenn, though, believes the criticism directed at his quarterback is over the top, especially when it comes to the latest issue of the Jets’ offense being unable to push the ball downfield.
On Wednesday morning, Glenn’s defense of the quarterback got heated, more so than in recent weeks.
“You’re right [about Fields needing to push the ball downfield more]. I’ve said that, and I still believe that, and I think that’s for any quarterback, especially when you have man coverage to give that guy a chance. But I do know if something bad happens, you guys are going to be b——g about that, about him,” Glenn said.
“He’s just got to go out there and play quarterback and do the best that he can, but I don’t come off that at all. When you’re in man coverage, you’ve got to give the guys a chance to go catch the ball.”
Glenn’s tirade is a bit surprising to say the least. For one thing, the Jets are 0-6. While Fields is not the sole reason the team is winless, his play hasn’t helped turn the team around.
While the first-year coach is not responsible for the last 14 years of playoff-less football in New York, expecting the fanbase and media not to be frustrated over the team’s play is sending a bad message. He demands the fanbase trust everything he says without seeing the necessary results.
That’s obviously not how any of this works.
It’s good to see the Jets’ coach continue to defend his players. No one is denying that. And Wednesday was a push from Glenn to get Fields to throw the ball downfield for the remainder of the season.
But to insinuate that the fanbase or media is overreacting to any of the concerns shown by the team’s quarterback, especially after he produces -10 yards, is a bad look for a coach.
