FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:
1.Top Bill-ing: On Wednesday night, Jets coach Aaron Glenn received a call from his mentor, Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, who wished him well in his first training camp. About 12 hours later, Glenn was hit with his first dose of adversity -- the Justin Fields toe scare.
Welcome to the Jets, Coach.
It's not easy being green. As a former player and scout, Glenn knows the star-crossed history of the franchise better than any of his predecessors. He doesn't hide from it; he embraces it. He believes it can help him change the culture of losing. Parcells thinks so, too, mentioning a dynamic that no previous Jets coach was able to tap into.
"First of all, he knows the owner well," Parcells told ESPN. "That's good. That's very important."
Glenn formed a relationship with owner Woody Johnson in 2000 and 2001, when Glenn was a player, and they reconnected in 2012 when Glenn began a two-year stint as a Jets scout. There's a trust between Glenn and Johnson, something that doesn't always exist between a coach and an owner. Parcells, who coached four teams and had a famously frosty relationship with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, knows this better than most.
Parcells is confident Glenn will succeed with the Jets, but the first year can be challenging. Reflecting on his start with the New York Giants in 1983, a 3-12-1 season that nearly resulted in his ouster, he said, "I made critical mistakes my first year. You can't try to be a different character. You're formed and you're experienced in a certain way, and you just have to continue forward with that.
"[Glenn]," Parcells added, "will be fine."
Parcells admittedly got distracted that first year. Raiders patriarch Al Davis, a close friend, set him straight.
"I was getting a little sidetracked, and I was complaining to him," Parcells said. "He finally just yelled at me, which was good: 'Just coach the damn team and get them ready to play.'"
He leaned on that advice throughout his career and has imparted similar sentiments to Glenn, who played under Parcells with the Jets and Dallas Cowboys. Glenn has displayed a strong presence. He handled the Fields injury with aplomb, showing no panic.
"You're not telling me anything I don't know," Parcells said with a laugh. "He's a pretty strong-willed and strong-minded guy. That's what made him [as a player]. He was feisty."
But for now, he's the Jets coach. And he's appreciative to still be learning form Parcells.
"I've always been glad that he's been in my corner," Glenn said. "He'll always be in my corner. He's still coaching me to this day, but I appreciate that. I have no ego as far as being criticized by that man. If he calls, I answer, and I'm here to listen to what he says."
2. One important toe: The Jets downplayed Fields' dislocated toe, saying he's day-to-day, but it's fair to wonder how it might impact his all-important mobility. Since entering the league in 2021, Fields ranks fourth in yards and first downs on scrambles, per ESPN Research. He has scrambled for 10 touchdowns, trailing only Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills.
Fields is also a much better passer when he's mobile. Among 29 quarterbacks with 30 starts since 2021, his QBR, yards-per-attempt and off-target percentage rank in the bottom four when he's inside the pocket. Outside the pocket, he's top eight in YPA and off-target percentage.
3. New fashion: Black hoodies have been seen around the Jets' facility with a one-word message on the back: GRIND.
4. O, captains, my captains: One potential concern for the Jets is a lack of veteran leadership. Three of their four captains from last season are gone -- quarterback Aaron Rodgers, linebacker C.J. Mosley and punter Thomas Morstead. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is the lone holdover.
They have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL, with only two players over 30 (quarterback Tyrod Taylor and long snapper Thomas Hennessy) and only two players with Super Bowl rings (defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi and wide receiver Tyler Johnson, who won championships with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams, respectively).
"I definitely think there needs to be more leadership now that those guys are gone," cornerback Sauce Gardner said, alluding to the older vets.
It's time for the players in their 20s, such as Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson and linebacker Jamien Sherwood, to step into bigger leadership roles. Sherwood is on his way now that he's essentially running the defense as the Mike linebacker.
5. Traveling Sauce? Gardner has quietly yearned to cover the opponents' No. 1 receiver. In the previous defensive scheme, zone-based, he did it only a handful of times each season, mostly in the red zone. He said it might be in the new scheme, which is expected to rely heavily on man-to-man coverage. Gardner also said he might get some blitzing opportunities, which he relishes.
6. Letting his guard down: Alijah Vera-Tucker is such a mild-mannered guy that you don't expect him to say any pointed words, but the right guard slipped in quite a zinger the other day.
"I can see this thing turning around, for sure, especially with Glenn, the type of coach he is," Vera-Tucker said. "He praises physicality, but even more -- accountability. I think that's very important for a head coach to do, something I haven't seen as much in my career."
An obvious shot at former coach Robert Saleh.
7. Sleepers: One of the fun parts of training camp is trying to identify the long shots who might make the 53-man roster. This year's players to watch are wide receiver Brandon Smith, defensive end Eric Watts and rookie slot receiver Jamaal Pritchett. They're all undrafted, though Pritchett is the only rookie. There's a long way to go in camp, but these are some of the unheralded players turning heads at One Jets Drive.
8. Ground and pound: Everybody knows that the Jets want to be a run-oriented offense -- an offensive lineman's dream scenario.
"I'm excited," guard John Simpson said. Leaning closer to the microphone, he added, "I'm really excited."
The Jets finished last in rushing attempts last season, as the offense was built around Rodgers' passing, but that approach is history. "If we can run the ball, we're going to win a lot of games," Simpson said.
9. Center of attention: There aren't many position battles in camp, unusual for a team in transition, but there's a competition at center between incumbent Joe Tippmann and Josh Myers, formerly of the Green Bay Packers.
When Myers signed his one-year, $2 million contract, it was "certainly made clear" to him that he'd have a chance to compete for the starting job.
Myers, the Packers' second-round pick in 2021, was Fields' center at Ohio State. Might that give him an edge over Tippmann? Myers believes his background with Fields will help, saying a center and a quarterback can develop chemistry. That, he said, can prove beneficial in certain situations, especially two-minute drives.
10. Special visitor: Retired special teams coach Mike Westhoff is planning to visit training camp. Westhoff has ties to Glenn -- they coached together with the New Orleans Saints -- and Westhoff mentored special teams coordinator Chris Banjo with the Denver Broncos.
