Everybody knows who Aaron Glenn is as a football coach. At least, everybody believes they know who Glenn presents himself to be, and not even the man himself would dispute it.

From the very day he accepted the New York Jets challenge, Glenn was anything but subtle. Confrontational, energetic, and convicted are just a few of the traits dripping off his sleeve.

The second greatest cornerback in Jets history has a distinct idea of who his team should be, and he’ll be damned if anybody stands in his way.

A little more than a year after his Florham Park coronation, 14 losses, many of which were historical thumpings, showed face as standing in Glenn’s way. Yet, save for the last month of the season, New York’s head coach’s message remained stubbornly constant.

That’s why it’s more than worthy to claim Aaron Glenn just passed a significant test as New York Jets head coach.

What was that test, precisely? Here’s a hint: It involves making decisions that don’t necessarily align with his football mindset.

Greg Roman likely tickled his fancy

From the outset, Aaron Glenn’s unapologetic nature did him no favors in his rookie head-coaching campaign. He preached violence across the board and wasn’t shy about wanting an established rushing attack.

Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. After all, most successful teams deploy potent rushing attacks. So, where’s the beef?

It comes in a specific inflexibility that cannot work in the modern NFL. Achieving a great rushing game comes from other avenues, courtesy of the short-passing efficiency that rules the sport.

Nevertheless, Glenn announced his intentions to the world. He signed free agent quarterback Justin Fields to lead this ground-first offense, drafted right tackle Armand Membou in the first round, and even hired Charles London, a running back by nature, as the team’s quarterbacks coach.

Suffice it to say, one understands how Glenn could be enamored by Greg Roman.

Roman, who interviewed for the Jets’ offensive coordinator role, recently agreed to jump aboard John Harbaugh and Matt Nagy’s New York Giants offense as their rushing-game coordinator. Previous stops include two OC stints under Jim Harbaugh (San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers) and one under big brother John (Baltimore Ravens).

He also served as the Buffalo Bills’ OC in 2015 and 2016, under … none other than Rex Ryan — the very same Rex Ryan who couldn’t help but marry his defensive brain with the late Tony Sparano in 2012 (R.I.P.).

Yeah, as much as Jets fans tossed it away as nothing more than a fever dream or horrific acid flashback, Sparano was the man who replaced Brian Schottenheimer. Yes, Tony Sparano — without the help of Dr. Jennifer Melfi or Paulie Walnuts (well, when he decided it was in his interest to help) — ran the Tim Tebow-infested Jets’ offense in 2012.

Mr. Ground-and-Pound simply could not help himself. He sat down with Sparano, ate up his power-rushing philosophies, and decided to give him his first offensive play-calling position in the NFL.

Choosing Frank Reich matters

Truth be told, I was fearful Glenn would do the same with Roman. (Please accept my apologies in advance, Mr. Roman, as I know you and Sparano are worlds apart in the offensive play-calling game.)

What’s more is the quarterback situation. Justin Fields is still under contract, and if Roman were to be tabbed as the guy, it would make little sense not to bring back the Ohio State product.

Remember, it was Roman who led the way in the NFL’s brave new zone-rushing, read-option world of 2012 — with help from Kyle Shanahan and Robert Griffin III on the East Coast. Roman, working under Harbaugh, used Colin Kaepernick’s dual-threat nature to perfection.

Instead, Glenn chose somebody else. Better yet, he chose a contrasting mindset altogether.

While Frank Reich goes way back with the Jets’ head coach, the potential for a buddy-buddy-system hire here doesn’t hold much water.

Granted, Reich isn’t a hot commodity by any means. No active NFL teams were interviewing him (no less targeting him as a potential OC candidate). More critical to the crux of the argument is the idea that he does not think like Glenn.

Frank Reich thinks like a quarterback, which is precisely what drives offensive football these days. Though potentially foreign in nature to Glenn, that’s exactly what New York’s head coach needed from his offensive play-caller.

Admittedly, Reich has some screen work to do. Missing just one season of the NFL creates a learning curve for a coach. For the Jets’ new offensive architect, it’s been a year and then some (considering he was fired midseason by the Carolina Panthers in 2023).

The good news is simple: Reich is a much better hire than the general consensus would have you believe. Whether he leaned on pistol and outside zone in Carolina with Bryce Young, or he tailored his Indianapolis Colts offense to suit multiple quarterbacks — Andrew Luck, Carson Wentz, Philip Rivers, etc. — Reich’s tape makes it clear that he’s a week-to-week, wholly flexible OC.

Deploying a week-to-week offensive game plan was wholly absent this past season, and it’s doubtful that Tanner Engstrand could be blamed the most. Remember, coordinators work within a specific framework that the head coach creates.

With Reich, the chances increase that such a framework is more lenient.

Although he still has much to prove, Aaron Glenn quietly passed a critical test with this hire. Tabbing Frank Reich as the New York Jets’ offensive coordinator runs counter to the head coach’s football philosophy.

Heading in this direction instead aims to fulfill a more week-to-week, modern football edict that funnels everything through quarterback efficiency.