Steve Gelbs has been impressed with how Aaron Glenn has handled the quarterback situation in New York. Privately, at least. Publicly is a different story.
The SNY broadcaster joined this week’s Awful Announcing Podcast and spent time breaking down Glenn’s media approach since taking over as Jets head coach. Gelbs, who hosts SNY’s Jets pregame and postgame coverage alongside Bart Scott, Willie Colon, and Connor Rogers, explained why Glenn is creating unnecessary problems for himself.
“For a guy that didn’t want distractions and preaches accountability, let’s be honest, it hasn’t been there publicly,” Gelbs told host Brandon Contes. “And he’s made issues of such small things that have to be issues. I don’t know if there’s any deeper intent behind it or if he’s just a guy that doesn’t feel like he has to share anything with the media and so he’s going to make a thing out of it… We can all talk about what we want as media members, as fans, the transparency — and that’s all well and good, but it doesn’t really matter. At the end of the day, what matters is the results on the field.
“But I will say this: if you’re Aaron Glenn, you’re not making anything easier for you, and you’re not allowing people to give you the benefit of the doubt when we get past this season. So, this year is what it is. We know he’s not going to be a one-and-done. We know it’s going to be a more long-term outlook for this team. But in Year 2, if it looks similar, you’re not creating a group of media members that is going to give you much of the benefit of the doubt. I just I never understand that from a public perspective if you’re the coach, why you would want to do that? Why you would want to create such tension and animosity when you don’t have to? And he doesn’t have to. He doesn’t have to act this way, and I don’t really know the reason why he’s choosing to do it.”
The Jets aren’t going to fire Glenn after one season. Woody Johnson gave him a long-term contract, knowing this would be a rebuild. But Gelbs is thinking ahead to Year 2 and Year 3, when the grace period runs out.
“That’s kind of the major issue for me with it is you’re doing this when the team’s not winning,” Gelbs explained. “If it hasn’t already worn thin, the act will wear thin as you go into Year 2 and Year 3, if you’re not winning. So, you’ve got to win. If he wins, he can do whatever he wants. If he turns the Jets around, he can do whatever he wants; he can say whatever he wants. But if he doesn’t, it just creates this added layer.”
Glenn can get away with this if he’s winning. Bill Belichick was famously dismissive with the media for two decades in New England, but he had six Super Bowl rings to back it up. Glenn doesn’t have that capital yet. He’s a first-year head coach trying to turn around one of the most dysfunctional franchises in professional sports, and he’s burning goodwill before he’s earned any.
One of the recurring issues has been Glenn’s refusal to announce his starting quarterback. The Jets have alternated between Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor at various points this season, and Glenn has consistently declined to reveal who will start until game day.
“And for me, I think the quarterback thing is just kind of silly,” Gelbs said. “There’s no great competitive advantage to not announcing Justin Fields or Tyrod Taylor. So that excuse and that element, it is what it is.”
It’s not like opposing defenses are drastically changing their game plans based on whether Fields or Taylor is under center. Both quarterbacks are known quantities at this point in their careers. The secrecy creates the illusion of gamesmanship without any actual competitive benefit.
“But, for me, the thing that really I was like, ‘What’s happening here?’ is when you come after Rich Cimini for doing his job,” Gelbs said. “Aaron Glenn knows; he’s been around a long time. Cimini covered him. You’re not going to win that battle, and it just comes off a little petty for something that is not that important and is not something that you should be scolding. Like, the reporter is there. That is his job. You may not like that it came out. You may want to go behind the scenes and scold whoever leaked it. But, you can’t get on Rich for it.”
Glenn told reporters to “ask Rich” since “Rich has all the answers” after ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported that Garrett Wilson would miss at least three to four weeks with a knee injury. Cimini was just doing his job. Someone in the organization told him, and he reported it. Going after the reporter publicly doesn’t solve anything.
If Glenn turns this around and the Jets start winning, none of this will matter. He can be as evasive as he wants if he’s taking the Jets to the playoffs. But if Year 2 looks like Year 1, and Year 3 looks like Year 2, the media isn’t going to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Gelbs wrapped up by noting that he’s impressed with how Glenn has handled things internally. The quarterback situation, the roster decisions, the way he’s managed the locker room — all of that has been handled well from what Gelbs has seen. But the public-facing side of the job matters too, especially in New York.
Glenn doesn’t have to be best friends with reporters. He doesn’t have to share every detail of his game plan. But he also doesn’t have to pick fights over injury reports or create weekly controversies over quarterback announcements. There’s a middle ground, and plenty of successful coaches have found it.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.