It’s safe to say that Aaron Glenn’s tenure as head coach of the New York Jets hasn’t begun how he, or anyone in the building, hoped it would.
With the Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints winning Sunday, the Jets (0-5) are left as the last winless NFL team this season.
In a press conference with reporters Monday, Glenn was asked if he maybe underestimated the challenge he was stepping into as a first-time head coach when he made a comment back in February at the NFL Scouting Combine that he took the job because the Jets were “here to win now,” after moving on from Aaron Rodgers.
Glenn didn’t back down from his comments despite becoming the first coach in Jets history to lose each of his first five games.
“What coach is not here to win now? I’m asking. Every coach is here to win now. What you didn’t say is when I said, ‘I’m not thinking about the Super Bowl. I’m not thinking about the playoffs. I’m thinking about building a foundation,'” Glenn said. “That’s exactly what we’re doing. Every coach in this NFL, that’s what you’re here for is to win. So I’m not changing that at all.
“Yes, we are here to win now. Have we done it yet? No, we haven’t. I understand that. We’re 0-5 and we own that. But I do know this: that’s not going to stop us from doing everything we can to win. Absolutely, we are here to win now like every other coach is.”
In Sunday’s 37-22 home loss to Dallas, the Jets trailed just 10-3 late in the first half before a Breece Hall red-zone fumble led to a pair of Cowboys touchdowns in the final minute of the half, paving the way to a 30-3 hole and a lopsided loss.
With the loss, the Jets became the first team in NFL history to start a season 0-5 and fail to force any turnovers as a defense.
Asked if he’s exploring personnel changes on a unit which ranks 31st in the league in scoring defense (31.4), Glenn said he’s always doing that.
“I say this every week, you earn your keep,” Glenn said. “I think we’re always looking at that. Who gives us the best chance to win? That does not mean we’re having wholesale changes week-in and week-out. But I do expect the players to earn their keep during the week.”
The Jets leave Monday for London to prepare for this Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos (3-2), who are coming off a road victory over the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles — Philadelphia’s first loss of the season.
