Aaron Glenn's postgame comments point to a troubling lack of involvement in the offense

The New York Jets were defeated on Sunday by two teams. First and foremost, the Chicago Bears molly-whopped them, to be clear. But in a close second were the Jets themselves. After 12 penalties accounting for 76 yards, just seven first downs, and a staggeringly low 17 minutes and 15 seconds of possession, the Jets never gave themselves a chance.

I'm not one to expect a head coach to have all the answers after a loss, or to share them, for that matter, but I do expect him to have opinions and thoughts on just about every facet of the game. What separates great coordinators from head coaches is the ability to captain the entire ship – defense, offense, and special teams.

Whether it be Rex Ryan, Todd Bowles, or Robert Saleh, Jets fans have plenty of experience with great defensive minds as head coaches who, at times, failed to align the offensive vision properly. And after Sunday's loss, Aaron Glenn seemed to follow in those footsteps during media availability.

Aaron Glenn needs to learn that he's not a coordinator anymore – fast

We all know that Glenn was brought in largely for his defensive prowess. No one expects him to make much of a schematic mark on the offense. His role is to hire the right coordinator and let him handle the play-to-play architecture. We all understand that.

But the offense has to reflect, at least, the head coach's desires. The man in charge cannot wash his hands of that side of the football entirely. Sure, he isn't diagramming ways to create yardage or get skill weapons open. But if he feels that the offense needs to shift its mentality, or if he feels certain players must be featured more, that's entirely on him to see through. The coordinator can handle playcalling, but the head coach must set the higher-level goals.

That's why it was so alarming to hear how Aaron Glenn addressed concerns about personnel usage on Sunday. A reporter pointed out that Garrett Wilson and Kenyon Sadiq weren't featured much and asked why. Glenn responded (kind of) after an "ummm" and a slightly awkward pause.

"...That's a good question. That's a good question. And, obviously, you have to go back and look at the tape... to see why."

Don't give away state secrets. I get that. But don't punt all questions to your coordinator either. You have to go back and look at the tape? By conceding, "that's a good question," he acknowledged it was probably a mistake not to get Wilson and Sadiq involved more. If that's the case, he must realize that in real time and act accordingly.

Glenn seemed to answer the question as though he were powerless to dictate any of the offensive scheme. Worse still, he acted as though he had no ability to analyze the topic without first rewatching the entire game. As if all 60 minutes took place without his knowledge.

I'm being harsh, but for good reason. I already made it clear that I don't expect coaches to give out any internal information or strategy. I can live with coach speak to evade media questions. But this was more than that. Glenn didn't seem to be ducking the question. He seemed genuinely baffled as to what the answer might be.

I don't think Glenn is one to take shots at players or coaches. But his responding with "good question" could come off as a slight at Frank Reich. I don't think that's the case, though. If that is the case, then Glenn needs to enforce his will on the game plan. But I lean more toward the reality that Glenn is just totally hands-off with the offense. And that means he's basically conceding all responsibility – and blame – to his coordinator. That's not what a good head coach does.

I also don't know if the original question is entirely fair. With only eight total completions, how heavily could Wilson and Sadiq have been featured? Wilson caught three of the eight passes, accounting for 38% of receptions. And of Geno Smith's 14 total passing attempts, Sadiq was targeted four times, accounting for 26% of targets. So together, they accounted for half of the total targets.

But the question itself isn't on trial here. What is on trial is Glenn's response to any query that isn't singularly focused on the defense. Of course, he'll never give us the "truth serum" answer. And sure, he's not expected to be the offensive mastermind.

But he damn sure better be more involved than "good question." If not, a new coaching staff will be moving into One Jets Drive a lot sooner than Glenn expected when he took the job. He needs to regain control of the ship – quick – if he wants to hang around past 2026.

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