Mougey/Glenn To Lead Jets Into The Future
Edition #789
☀️ Good morning ☕
Today the Jets will introduce their new leadership team of Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn. Those two will be hoping to do what many others have failed to achieve, which is turn this franchise into a consistent winner. Holding the longest playoff drought in North American sports, it’s not going to be easy.
I’m not overly interested in what they have to say, instead I’ll judge them on the actions they take. We may have a GM/HC in place, but the work has only just started. There are plenty of positions to fill and plenty of key decisions to make. Will Aaron Rodgers be back? If not, what’s the plan at QB? Will we try and re-sign Sherwood before he hits free agency? What happens with Mosley who wants to keep playing? Do we entertain a trade for someone like Breece? Who do we take #7?
Mougey has a huge job on his hands. The Jets need a cultural shift in the worst way and that’s difficult to achieve. The Jets need to decide whether they’re going to extend Garrett Wilson. They have 23 unrestricted free agents with plenty of starters on the list. Do we bring back Davante Adams? Who will be the assistant GM? We will bring in a new director of college scouting? Who makes up the coaching staff?
We’ve made two key decisions but this off-season is going to be full of key decisions. I’ll be honest, it’s energised me again.
I’m really excited about the potential of this tandem, but I was excited about the Douglas/Saleh partnership and that really didn’t work out. So let’s wait and see, but judging these hires as a success or failure in January 2025 is beyond pointless. We’ll save that for much further down the line, but they’ll be getting my full support.
"It is one of the great honours and privileges of my life to serve as the general manager of the New York Jets," Mougey said. "I want to thank Mr. Johnson for this responsibility, one I do not take lightly. I could not be more excited to work alongside Coach Glenn to build a championship team that will make Jets fans proud."
Darren Mougey
Glenn was one of the highest rated coaches in this cycle and Darren Mougey was considered one of the future front office stars in football. Does that mean they’re going to work out? Absolutely not. The Jets are pairing a first-time coach with a first-time general manager. That can and has worked around the league on numerous occasions. It’s also failed on numerous occasions. There is no magic solution to franchise building. Experience doesn’t guarantee success just as much as youth doesn’t guarantee innovation. You need the right people in the right roles at the right time. Have the Jets found that? We’ll probably know in 1-2 years, but the signs will be evident come September this year when the new-look Jets take the field.
If you missed my piece on Aaron Glenn you can find that here:
If you missed my piece on Darren Mougey you can find that here:
🟢 We now have our Super Bowl participants. Championship Sunday was a lot of fun, and I was busy working the NFC Championship game. Let’s hope that Mougey and Glenn get the Jets back there, it’s been far too long.
🟢 Vinny Testaverde has been talking about his former teammate and new Jets head coach Aaron Glenn: "So, there's no doubt with where and who Aaron has coached with, and under, talking about Sean Payton [in New Orleans], he was coached by Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells, some of the greatest coaches that ever have been in the NFL and coached the game. So, I think he probably takes little bits and pieces of each of them and adds his own personality to it. And I think you're going to see a Jets organization that is going to surprise a lot of people and be successful in the next few years to come."
🟢 You’ll know by now that I’m a big fan of Jaxson Dart and he’s been talking ahead of the senior bowl - "I think there is like a weird stigma around Ole Miss quarterbacks just not being super smart, not having a lot of experience playing in different systems and what not," he said. "I think Coach [Lane] Kiffin has done a great job in implementing so many different schemes into his offense. I feel like I've kind of done it all and I'm really excited to show the development and growth that he's really pushed me into. I think I'm a really smart football player. I can draw it up, I can do whatever you need. Really just excited to show my knowledge of all the things I've been taught." Remember he’s leaving Ole Miss with 10,617 passing yards, more than Eli Manning.
🟢 Ian Rapoport reported yesterday that the Jets new coach is open to bringing back Aaron Rodgers "Aaron Glenn, to my understanding, is open to it," and that he expects those conversations to heat up over the coming weeks. Rodgers said that he’d like to have everything concluded by free agency so everyone knows there they stand when the market opens. I am intrigued to see what it would look like with Aaron Rodgers under a different coaching staff and by all accounts, Glenn isn’t going to take any rubbish from anyone.
🟢 Mike Tannenbaum who helped the Jets with their search spoke to ESPN radio at the weekend. He confirmed that the 33rd team undertook a huge data-driven approach to get the right candidates in the building, studying over 30 years of hires, which also happens to be how long the Jets were interviewing candidates. On Darren Mougey he said: "When people survive ownership changes, typically there's something special about them." and on Aaron Glenn he said "checked every box...He paid his dues every step of the way. "One thing that impressed them with Glenn was the belief that he can build a strong staff: "(He's) a person that people want to work for."
Daniel Jeremiah released his first mock draft of the off-season yesterday and he had the Jets taking Tyler Warren from Penn State
Taking a tight this high is unusual. The Falcons took Pitts with the #4 overall and he has 10 receiving touchdowns in four years and hasn’t broken the 1,000 yard mark since his rookie campaign in 2021, and even then he only scored the 1 touchdown. Right now he’s settled into a 600 receiving yard, 3-4 touchdown role which isn’t bad…but also isn’t worthy of a top-five selection.
Brock Bowers was taken #13 overall and caught over 100 passes for 1,000+ yard with subpar QB play. Warren isn’t as prolific as Bowers was in college, but he is coming off a 104 catch season for 1,230 yards and 8 touchdowns. He dropped just 2.8% of his passes this season and came down with 61% of his contested catches. So add that to his in-line potential as a run blocker and you have an intriguing prospect.
Warren is bigger than Bowers in both height and weight which is probably a good reason why he’s a better blocker, but he’s also not as explosive or athletic as Bowers which is where my concerns start to come in about using a top 10 pick on him. But he tracks the football well and can split out wide as well.
The Jets have had average to below average TE play for a while now, so it’s about time we invested in the position. Warren would be exciting, but if he the best use of the #7 pick when you look at the depth of the TE class in 2025?
On December 20th, 1969, the Jets lost the AFL Championship game in Shea Stadium to the eventual Super Bowl champions KC Chiefs.
Namath after the game was asked about the disappointment of not going back to the Super Bowl. He acknowledged the disappointment but then said something to the effect of “we will be back there soon.”( paraphrased)
Unfortunately, after making the greatest prediction in NFL history, Broadway Joe’s “ be back there soon”, never came to fruition. Unlike General Douglas MacArthur, he did not return.
To put things in perspective, It took Moses 40 years to find the promised land for the Israelites, the Jets are going on 56 years in trying to return to THE game.
Since that bitter cold day at Shea, the Jets have employed 13 GMs, 16 HCs, have had 2 owners, one who really never got involved at all with the team ( Hess) and another who thinks he invented the game( Woody).
They have drafted 7 quarterbacks with their first round pick.
Counting Namath, Todd, O’Brien, Pennington, Sanchez, Darnold and Wilson. Throw in second rounders Smith and Hackenberg and the futility and disappointment is depressing.
Aside from the Parcells hiring, all the rest of the GM and HC hirings have all ended the same way, pink slips, pictures and awards in empty computer paper boxes and a security protected walk out the front gate, hey Herm, hey Mr Coffee, hey Gase, building keys please.
Parcells, when hired put all the fans into a frenzy, the Jet fan base reacted like a bunch of drooling, rabid dogs looking at a small, innocent,cute, cuddly, white rabbit.
The base smelled blood, Super Bowl blood, they were not to be denied.
The Parcells hiring was totally different than any other hiring.
It brought optimism to a fan base that had been beaten down due to bad luck, bad losses, bad hirings. He brought accountability.
Unfortunately fate, intervened, against Parcells. In the AFC championship game in Denver, with having a 10-0 lead in the third quarter, Parcells probably suffered the worse 23 minutes of his coaching career.
There were some players he referred to as his guys, the trusted veterans, the guys who knew what it took to win, they flopped.
Curtis and Byers fumbled at critical times. Vinnie 31 for 52, 356 yds yet two picks. Throw in a fumble by Alex Van Dyke ( second round bust). Dave Meggett totally misplayed a wind swept kickoff that turned into the highest onside kick recovery in NFL history.
Parcells later would admit, that of all the games that he ever coached, that Denver game was viewed by him as an automatic win, he was never so positive of a victory.
Throw in Hess’s cancer, Parcells personal service contract with Hess, Hess’s son wanting nothing to do with the Jets, Woody purchasing the Jets, both Parcells and Belichick meeting Woody before he became the owner, abracadabra both Parcells and Belichick quit. Pictures and awards in empty computer paper boxes and a security protected walk out the front gate, hey Tuna, hey Bill building keys, hand them over.
It appears that Glenn’s hiring is very different than any other Jet HC hiring
While Tuna’s hiring brought hope to the fan base.
Glenn’s brought hope to the franchise by the reactions of some of his ex Jet teammates.
A few were ecstatic, a few promised to be at his press conference tomorrow.
Victor Green when he heard about Glenn’s interview said if he is hired, wanted to be hired as an assistant coach for him.
By the way the vets are talking, if the Jets could mint coins, they would say “ In Aaron, we trust.”
They say Glenn has a little Parcells in him. Very big on accountability, something that seems hasn’t been here since, since, since, my god, since Parcells was here.
But the truth be told, we don’t know how he will be as a HC.
We don’t know how Mougey will be as GM.
Older Jet fans are tired, tired of the false hope that never comes, tired of the new HC’s pet phrases from All gas, no brakes, to kissing rings, to White House visits and of course “ You play to win the game” said by a coach who lost a playoff game by not playing to win the game. Please Aaron, no phrases. The base is phrased out.
Most older fans will have a wait and see approach. They will remain silent.
Yes, they will remain silent until the first 3 game losing streak, the first two minute warning screw up, then like the masses in the Roman coliseum, it will be thumbs down.
Mougey awaits the same fate. The first draft pick he cuts, the first draft pick who is a bust, the Torches and Pitchforks will be taken out of storage.
Hopefully Woody and his helpers finally got it right.
I would really love to see Glenn And Mougey get a contract extension due to success.
Only time will tell.
I would love to see Tannenbaum’s data on Grigson, Rex and brilliant Arthur Smith to show why they were interviewed.
Wow! Tyler Warren is my favorite player in this draft. For those of you that checked the “NO” box you might want to check out his film. I have to disagree strongly with David on Warren’s athleticism being less than Bowers. Just an old coach’s opinion but I think he’s one of the best athletes in this class. (Check out his high school video). Now, as for taking him at “7”? Well, that would depend on who was available when we are up. Mason Graham is my #1 wish. We need a dominant DT more than a TE. And Warren’s Penn St. teammate Abdul Carter is my#2. I understand that with JJ back another DE will not be an absolute necessity but Carter is a special talent any decent DC will be able to utilize in a myriad of ways. So, seeing as the QB’s are gonna be long gone by pick 7 if we’re not taking Warren, or the QB’s, and A.Carter, M. Graham, Travis Hunter, Mich. CB Will Johnson will likely follow them off the board then who else might energize our offense like Tyler Warren? In my Jet’s group I’m still seeing fans pissed off we passed on Bowers to draft a OT. Do I agree with them on that? No! We needed a LT. Would a RT be a good option at 7? Absolutely. But I don’t see any RT’s in this class that would provide more value than Tyler Warren. I see Warren as a better TE than any of the OT’s are at their positions. And let’s remember there is always a possibility we might move down a few spots to pick up additional draft capital.