Inside 'Camp Glenn': Tackling the owner, a vintage whistle and a full-circle moment

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- To underscore his promise of a prosperous future for the New York Jets, first-year coach Aaron Glenn believed the team needed to see his past -- specifically, his experiences with franchise turnarounds.

So in the auditorium of the Jets' facility, he punched up a giant illustration of his career, visual proof that he's been there, done that in more than one NFL city. For each example, he provided a detailed explanation of how it was accomplished.

He was the defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, who went from 3-13-1 to 15-2 over his four years, 2021 to 2024. Before that, he was the secondary coach of the New Orleans Saints, who made four consecutive playoff appearances after a three-year swoon. As a star cornerback with the Jets, he lost 45 of his first 64 games before reaching the AFC Championship Game in 1998.

Over and over, Glenn has seen losing turn to winning, and he believes he possesses the cheat code that will allow these current Jets to do the same. Since their last winning season (2015), no team has lost more than the Jets -- a league-worst 46-102 record (.311).

Before kicking off training camp, Glenn wanted his players to see that it can be done, that laughingstocks can indeed get the last laugh. You might say this was his green print for the Jets' future.

"Seeing that on the board and seeing the testimony of where he's been and how he's coached, and what they expected from each other -- it shows there's light at the end of the tunnel," said tight end Jeremy Ruckert, a lifelong Jets fan from Long Island.

The journey started July 23, when the Jets conducted their first training camp practice. That day, Glenn was wide awake by 3:30 a.m., eager to get started, fulfilling his dream of coaching the team that drafted him in 1994.

For the past four weeks, he has conducted a camp unlike any the Jets have experienced in more than a decade. We collected a few snapshots for a photo album.

GLENN DIDN'T WASTE the first day in full pads. As promised, he conducted a live, one-on-one tackling drill.

Resembling an old-school coach from central casting, Glenn crouched between ball carrier and defender, ball cap pulled down low, sending two players at a time into action with short, piercing sounds from his whistle.

Nowadays, live tackling is uncommon in NFL camps, but Glenn wants his team to be tough and calloused for the regular season. The Jets hadn't done it since Rex Ryan was the coach in 2010, their last playoff season. Several players said they hadn't done it since high school. For defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, it had a familiar feel.

"I've been coached by one of the greatest coaches of all time," said Williams, who played for Nick Saban at Alabama, "and I kind of know how it looks and how it feels when it comes down to being around people who can take me and a team to the highest level. And [Glenn] has every aspect in him. I think he's going to be one of the greatest coaches in the league."

AH YES, THE whistle. Not too many head coaches use them anymore. For Glenn, it's always around his neck, along with a red Sharpie for taking notes during practice.

The whistle symbolizes his connection to a bygone era, when pride and discipline were paramount. At 53, he's the oldest of the five first-time head coaches.

The players are "in tune to [the whistle] right now," said Glenn, explaining his preference. "So when this dude" -- he blows the whistle -- "they know what that means."

HE SCORED POINTS with the players by starting practice at 8:30 a.m., about two hours earlier than last year. The temperatures were cooler in the morning than midday. The same couldn't be said for Glenn's passion.

His thermostat was on high most of the time, as he stalked, glared, exhorted and pushed his players. He stressed "tempo" and "identity" and "discipline" -- his favorite buzzwords. Almost every player, asked to describe Glenn, used the word "intense." The consensus among players: Practices were more competitive than in recent years.

IF GLENN SEES something, he says something. He doesn't hold criticism for later.

"He's not afraid of confrontation," said Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, a Glenn confidant who believes that's a necessary trait for a head coach.

Linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball experienced this firsthand. In the preseason opener against Green Bay, he was flagged for a late hit along the Packers' sideline. By the time he got back to the Jets' sideline -- he was removed for one play -- Glenn's ire had reached ignition.

He gave McCrary-Ball an earful, providing a video clip that delighted Jets' fans on social media. This is a fan base that never embraced former coach Robert Saleh's stoic demeanor on the sideline.

"It's amazing to see that he's holding the defense, offense and special teams to the same standard," defensive end Jermaine Johnson said of Glenn. "What's even more impressive is how we respond. It gets fixed."

Glenn's mission is to make the Jets a disciplined team. They led the league in accepted penalties in 2024, as he has noted on more than one occasion. Of course, saying and executing are two different things.

"The last coaching staff preached discipline," safety Tony Adams said, "and we didn't listen to them."

RAY MICKENS HAS known Glenn since 1992, when they were teammates at Texas A&M. They also played together on the Jets and have remained close. Two weeks ago, Mickens got goose bumps when he walked on the practice field and saw his friend for the first time as head coach of their old team.

His mind raced back to a conversation from 2013, when Glenn was just starting out as a scout for the Jets. Glenn, who lived in Houston, drove his Ford Explorer to schools all over the Midwest. On this day, he was headed to Iowa to check out a couple of prospects. He stopped at Mickens' home in Dallas.

Mickens was blown away that Glenn, a successful businessman in his post-playing days, would give it up for the tedious life of a scout. This, Glenn told him, was a necessary step toward achieving his ultimate goal -- head coach.

"I saw the work he put in a long time ago," Mickens said. "So when I see him out there now, knowing all it took for him to get here ... that's what gives me goose bumps."

GLENN, WHO MADE his last tackle as a player in 2008, tackled his boss one morning during the first week of camp. Well, sort of.

In between drills, Glenn snuck up behind owner Woody Johnson and playfully wrapped his arms around him.

"I'm going to get you before you get me this time," a smiling Glenn, mic'd up by the in-house media team, told Johnson.

That snapshot captures their relationship, which began 25 years ago when Glenn was playing for the Jets and Johnson was a first-year owner. None of Glenn's recent predecessors had that kind of bond with Johnson.

This, people close to the situation believe, will create harmony in the organization -- a departure from last year's turmoil, which included the firings of Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas during the season.

GLENN IS SERIOUS-MINDED -- he was the same way as a player -- but he knows when to take his foot off the gas. During camp, the team took a quick trip to a theater near the Jets' facility in New Jersey, where they screened Spike Lee's new movie, "Highest 2 Lowest."

Rocking a Joe Namath throwback jersey, Lee was present and addressed the team. He was introduced by Glenn, who presented Lee with a No. 40 Jets jersey and said he expects the filmmaker to wear it whenever he attends a sporting event. (The 40 is a nod to Lee's production company, "40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks.")

Lee, a devout New York Knicks fan, attends a lot of sporting events.

GLENN BEGAN EVERY news conference in camp the same way:

"Good morning."

For the most part, he seemed comfortable with the media, providing engaging, sometimes revealing answers. But there's a gruff side to his personality, and he occasionally gets snippy if he doesn't like the subject matter.

A few days before facing the New York Giants, he was asked about his plan for playing starters -- a routine question posed in every city across the league during the preseason. "The plan is the plan," he said curtly. "That's the plan. Next question."