🔥 Aaron Glenn Hot Seat Meter Week 9: Glenn's damage goes beyond the losses

Aaron Glenn is finding out the hard way that there is a trickle-down effect to failure in the NFL.

Glenn will almost certainly be back in the job market by season's end (if not sooner), but his failures in New York will have lasting impacts for both him and the Jets.

More importantly, the storm cloud that sits firmly above the Jets organization will not be going with him.

Self-sabotage

Prior to his big seat with the Jets, Glenn excelled as defensive coordinator in Detroit.

While the logical step after being fired is to revert back to your previous role, given the Jets' defensive struggles and Glenn's role as play-caller, it's fair to wonder whether he's unintentionally ruined his own fallback plan in the process.

After all, context aside, who would be eager to hire the man behind a defense that currently ranks 20th in the NFL in points allowed?

Against the Chiefs, although the offense was also abysmal, the Jets' defense was porous.

On one hand, I feel bad for Glenn, as it's clear that the weak link in this defense is the interior defensive line. The Jets rank 26th in rush defense and, with the exception of rookie David Bailey, have struggled to pressure opposing quarterbacks all year.

If there's anywhere on the field where personnel matters more than scheme, it's here. You can stunt all you want, but when your tackles are routinely pushed three yards from the line of scrimmage, the dam will eventually break.

Nevertheless, Glenn has put himself in the lose-all situation, wherein every Jets' loss mars his hopeful image as emerging head coach, and every defensive letdown erodes his reputation as coordinator/guru.

Fortunately for him, his last company currently finds itself in desperate need of his prior services.

It's funny how life works sometimes, isn't it?

Scared money don't make money

When you're outmanned and outgunned, your only option is to do what the other side can't. This past Sunday in Kansas City, Glenn and the Jets were underdogs before kickoff.

If you're looking for a summary of the game's events, I'm sure you can find it elsewhere. As this is a series that attempts to gauge the heat on Glenn's coaching seat in New York, I'd rather focus on what didn't happen.

Perhaps Glenn is under some delusion that he's actually doing a bang-up job, or maybe he's just trying not to make matters worse, but the approach to this game was unfortunate.

With nothing to lose, facing a team you can't beat straight up, this was the game to pull out all the stops.

Unleash your best exotic blitz packages, tap into your wildest coverage looks, for goodness sake, give some trick plays a go.

Apart from an underwhelming flea-flicker, the Jets appeared to believe that they were capable of beating what has been the league's best team in recent history by staying the course.

A course, mind you, that will probably lead to Glenn's termination, a handful of other coaches getting the axe, and an overall team record somewhere in the 5-12 range.

The storm cloud above the New York Jets lives to see another day

Nobody had Super Bowl hopes for this year, but this game suggested the rest of the season will be something for fans to endure rather than enjoy, with or without Glenn.

In fact, the stormy skies unfortunately appear to be in the forecast for the foreseeable future.

The current leaders on both sides of the ball, 36-year-old Geno Smith and 37-year-old Demario Davis, are likely to develop Rheumatoid arthritis before serving as the team's long-term offensive and defensive solutions.

A new head coach, while offering a blank page of possibilities, also marks a return to the starting line.

And a puzzling lack of movement around this past week's trade deadline creates a concerning notion about how the Jets' front office feels about the current state of affairs.

There is some light within the darkness, however.

Strong contributions from the team's rookies throughout this season offer hope for general manager Darren Mougey's knack for recognizing talent.

Ultimately, the future of this franchise rests on what the Jets do with their once-in-a-lifetime positioning in the 2027 NFL Draft. The Jets are currently projected to hold the No. 4, No. 6, and No. 10 picks in April. No team in the Super Bowl era has made three top-10 selections in the same draft.

While not a particularly stellar class of prospects, the opportunity it presents the Jets to course-correct an organization that is once again on the brink of flatlining is unprecedented.

As for Glenn, he's along for the same ride we are, as fans. Just with a better seat.

Current Heat: 9.5 (and holding) 🏳️

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