5 most memorable NY Jets head coach introductory press conferences

NY Jets fans hope that today will breathe new life into the organization. Aaron Glenn will speak with the media for the first time since being hired as the Jets' next head coach later today at 1 pm ET.

Fans hope to see some much-needed inspiration out of Glenn. This could go down as one of the most significant days in Jets history, especially if his arrival leads to a return to the promised land.

With all the hoopla surrounding New York's first collective look at its newest head coach, it seems to be an appropriate time to look back at some of the most memorable introductory press conferences we have seen from a head coach.

From the good to the bad to the ugly to the just plain weird, let's take a look at some notable Jets introductory press conferences from least to most memorable.

5. Herman Edwards

The Herm Edwards era was one that started very positively and saw a lot of success but ultimately ended pretty poorly.

Even with the sour ending, I firmly believe 99 out of 100 Jets fans would tell you they look back on Edwards' time in New York fondly. His introductory presser in large part showed why fans have such positive memories of his tenure with the Jets.

Aside from three separate playoff births and a playoff victory, it was simply the positive energy that Edwards permeated that people remember. He took over an already relatively talented team that finished 9-7 the year before.

What the franchise needed was an infusion of culture. He brought that on day one.

Already a well-known name in New York from his days in Philadelphia, more specifically from his "Miracle at the Meadowlands" fumble recovery, the New York media took an immediate liking to him.

Edwards spoke a lot about how close he had gotten to the big prize in the past, and how hungry he was to return the Jets to that glory he so desired.

"I've been in one Super Bowl and two championship games in 23 years," Edwards said. "A lot of people get close."

He also spoke about the culture he planned to instill, using his former head coach Dick Vermeil as a template.

"Watching how Dick brought us along and treated his players, you saw at that time how a head coach can get close to his players and still win, that it was all right. Players have to feel ownership. If you can build that within a team, your rate of success goes up."
Herman Edwards

Ultimately, he never won that Super Bowl, but the energy he brought was memorable, and it started with that first press conference.

4. Robert Saleh

Following a humiliating Adam Gase stint in New York, fans were extremely excited about the hiring of Robert Saleh. He was one of the more highly touted candidates on the market for multiple cycles, so the Jets felt lucky to have him.

Say what you want about Saleh, but he is very similar to Herm Edwards in that he is a magnetic personality that naturally attracts others to follow him. This was clear when he was introduced to the New York media for the first time.

He addressed the slogan that he lives his football life by: "All gas, no brake."

"When we talk about all gas, no brake, we’re not talking about effort on the field. We’re talking about the process by which we do things. We’re talking about the way we prepare, the way we wake up every single morning. The way we rehab, the way we communicate, the way we speak to one another."
Robert Saleh

He certainly knew how to preach his message when he had to. Eventually, his message went stale. This was in large part due to the dysfunction that surrounded the franchise during Aaron Rodgers' time here. But when he first got to address the media, everything was still in the honeymoon phase.

Excitement is a key word here, because that is a lot of what he talked about.

"I cannot tell you enough how excited I am to work with this entire Jets organization and understanding that when we wake up in the morning, we will all, from top-down, step on the pedal and find a way to get somewhat better than we were when we woke up."
Robert Saleh

It all sounded so good at the time. It didn't end as good, but his first day was certainly a memorable one.

3. Bill Parcells

It goes without saying that Jets fans were thrilled across the board to bring in Bill Parcells. At this point, he had been to three Super Bowls with two franchises, having already won in New York with the Giants.

He was a proven product. There was no wondering if he could succeed. It was just a matter of will he succeed, but there was no doubt that the Jets had landed a great one.

"It's important to me... I just think it's an ideal situation," Parcells said. "I don't think there would have been... any other place in the country that I would have considered going besides New York."

This was music to Jets fan's ears. It was like a white knight coming in to rescue a franchise desperate for a return to success. Parcells almost did it too, coming within one half of a trip to the Super Bowl in 1998.

Like the lifespan of every Jets' head coach outside of Weeb Ewbank, it didn't end with a Lombardi Trophy, but there is no doubt that fans will always remember the day that they introduced Bill Parcells to the world as the head coach of the New York Jets.

2. Rex Ryan

This was one of the more exciting days in Jets history. While hopes were high following Herm Edwards, Robert Saleh, and Bill Parcells' press conferences, there was nothing more invigorating than hearing Rex Ryan talk about how he planned to turn the Jets into a force to be reckoned with.

More so than any head coach introductory presser I can remember, save for maybe Dan Campbell's with the Detroit Lions a few years back, this one was as rejuvenating to a franchise as there has been.

Already a proven success having won a Super Bowl in Baltimore as defensive line coach, and having developed a reputation as a defensive genius during his time as defensive coordinator, fans were hopeful before he was officially introduced to the press.

But once Ryan dropped some of the lines he had in his arsenal, fans were beside themselves giddy with their new head coach. He opened it with a bang.

"With all the cameras and all that, I was looking for our new president back there... You know, I think we'll get to meet him in the next couple of years anyway. I'm not afraid of expectations. My goal is to win a Super Bowl. It's not to just win X number of games."
Rex Ryan

He also talked about how good — and how physical — his football team was going to be.

"We want to be known as the most physical football team in the NFL," Ryan told reporters. "The players will have each other's backs, and if you take a swipe at one of ours, we'll take a swipe at two of yours."

The quotes just speak for themselves. Coming from a young Jets fan at the time, it was awesome. The son of former Jets' assistant coach and Super Bowl champion, Buddy Ryan, Rex was everything we wanted. No one will forget that day in Jets nation.

1. Adam Gase

Unfortunately, No. 1 on our list is not remembered fondly the way Rex Ryan and Bill Parcells' introductions were. This one is remembered because the head coach in question seemed to have... crazy eyes.

If you weren't around for this or simply don't remember, I'm not exaggerating. Anything the newly signed Adam Gase could have said during his presser was completely overshadowed by the bizarre dilation of his eyes, which became the talk of the day.

To this day, I've never been given an explanation as to why his eyes looked like that. It could have been fear, confusion, nerves, or all of the above. Whatever the reason, it seemed to foreshadow the bizarre nature of his tenure in New York.

His press conference was otherwise fairly standard. He thanked the Johnson family, expressed how positive he felt walking through the door, and filled the rest with typical "coach-speak" that ultimately didn’t say much of substance.

But it was that bizarre look on his face that we’ll never forget. And, fittingly, it served as the perfect precursor to his 9-21 tenure with the team. It started strange and ended disastrously — a true low point in Jets history.