Aaron Glenn’s fiery exchange with reporter gives Jets fans Bill Parcells flashbacks

The New York Jets are shaping up to be a team that is truly throwing it back to the Bill Parcells era under new head coach Aaron Glenn. While they are poised to be one of the best rushing attacks in the league, there is a very good chance that this team finishes dead last in the NFL in passing.

Despite hiring former Lions passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand to run the offense, the limited Justin Fields at quarterback, combined with a lack of good wide receiver play outside of Garrett Wilson, isn't going to strike fear into many secondaries on New York's schedule.

Glenn, who saw Fields struggle in a preseason loss against the New York Giants, challenged a reporter who claimed that the NFL is a passing league. Glenn noted that the Philadelphia Eagles are fresh off winning a Super Bowl while leading the league in rushing for the 2024 season.

When the reporter tried to say that Philadelphia also had one of the best defenses in the league, Glenn swiftly shut that red herring down by saying the reporter was trying to steer the conversation away from offense. Glenn is not entertaining the media by twisting his words.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn shuts down media concerns about passing game

Glenn's offensive philosophy may certainly sound antiquated to those who want to see more explosive passing games, but he is also being realistic about a team that is trying to resurrect Fields' career. If Glenn had his old buddy Jared Goff under center, he's probably going to chuck it around a bit more.

The Jets, to their credit, have built a potentially devastating rushing attack. The 1-2 punch of Breece Hall and Braelon Allen has looked the part in the preseason, and the starting offensive line consists of five players who all profile as above-average run-blockers.

The passing game, however, will put a hard cap on this team's ceiling. Fields is what he is, for all his positive traits. With Josh Reynolds, Tyler Johnson, and rookie Mason Taylor projected to get a good chunk of the non-Wilson targets, this skill position room is well below where most teams in the AFC are.

It remains to be seen if Glenn will kick-start a Parcells-like turnaround in New York, but he has already learned well from his old sensei when it comes to making sure the media does not misrepresent his words out of context.

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