Aaron Glenn Hot Seat Meter: Jets coach cools seat in Tennessee heat

The one good thing about starting a season on a hot seat is that it typically means the bar is pretty low.

Yes, frustration is high. And yes, the leash is short. But the opportunity it gives a coach to improve their own situation is an optimistic luxury that coaches with job security simply don’t have.

In the New York Jets’ Week 1 win in Nashville, Aaron Glenn took advantage of this opportunity to pour a glass of cool water on his coaching chair.

While it wouldn’t be surprising if he did so literally, given the unruly field temperature, the analogy here means the Jets’ performance certainly lowered the heat on the coach’s job-doubt dial by a degree or two.

How much did Week 1 cool off Aaron Glenn's hot seat?

For maybe the first time in the Glenn era, the Jets were the better team in arguably every aspect on Sunday. There were no major mistakes on the field, no visible lack of effort or discipline, and we didn't see any real questionable coaching decisions.

Aside from an unfortunate series of events that led to the first half clock running out on the Jets, which I’m prepared to either chalk up as something out of the team’s control or offer a free pass in lieu of the heat, the day felt smooth.

Either way, the calm feeling all Jets fans had watching this game was both unfamiliar and a credit to Glenn and staff for at least momentarily steadying a ship that has been on choppy seas for far too long.

In his first game after reclaiming defensive play-calling duties, the Jets surrendered just 3 points. Before we overcomplicate everything, this is a game of results, and from a defensive standpoint, that’s a near-perfect result.

Now, let’s overcomplicate it. The Titans did not appear to be a very good football team. All due respect to the organization, and with the understanding that it is only one game, for a coach on the hot seat, this was an ideal draw as far as openers go.

The added bonus for Glenn in this game specifically was the head coach on the other sideline. If you're looking to earn brownie points with a fanbase, being the clear winner in a faceoff against the person you replaced is a bit of a cheat code.

It's like meeting your significant other's ex during a night out when you're wearing your Sunday best, and they're in gym clothes. That moment of direct comparison offers a unique kind of dual validation.

Offensively, while most of the credit has to go to Frank Reich, Glenn, as head coach, gets a slice of credit for the decision to bring him in.

Though it’s becoming more common in the sport, head coaches don’t always call plays. Philosophy also varies depending on who you ask, but to me, the core responsibilities of the head coach position are to create a culture and to set an expectation for the group.

In this respect, and in this isolated sample size, those functions appeared to be better than those of last year. From what could be seen on the broadcast alone, morale seemed high, effort level was solid, and attention to detail seemed to be, at very least, present.

All of this being said, the major caveat of the opponent cannot be overstated. Every team looks good against an inferior team. It’s easy to draw conclusions, but vastly more difficult to decide what those conclusions should be attributed to. Personally, I've always been a firm believer that you learn far more in moments of great adversity than you do in situations of good fortune.

For now, we’ll give Glenn the win. Assuming the heat meter coming into the season was set at 7.0 (aka medium-high), this Week 1 performance turned the temperature down, albeit slightly.

Current Heat: 6.5 🟡

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow