Al Iannazzone: Aaron Glenn wants Jets to have 'competitive stamina' like Knicks
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Aaron Glenn has been busy trying to improve the Jets roster and working with his players during OTAs, but he couldn’t help but pay attention to what the Knicks did and what he can take from their inspiring run to their first NBA championship in 53 years.
It’s been 57 since the Jets won a Super Bowl. No one is expecting that drought to end this season, but Glenn and the Jets will follow some of the Knicks’ blueprint that led to their success.
Glenn called what the Knicks did “beautiful.” Coming from behind in each win over San Antonio showed “competitive stamina,” according to Glenn. He’s been preaching that to his players and will continue to when they return for training camp in July.
“That is something that those men showed throughout that whole series, and that's a real thing,” Glenn said before the Jets’ minicamp practice on Tuesday. “That’s something that we're working on.
“I have to make sure I create that in practice. It's hard to do it in OTAs because of the physical part of it, but once we come to training camp, you can bet your [expletive] that we're going to work on competitive stamina because those Knicks, those guys showed it.”
Being able to overcome adversity and keep fighting and attacking would be a step in the right direction for the Jets. They lacked that last season, among other things, and finished 3-14, missing the playoffs for the 15th consecutive season.
They’ve improved the roster, added leadership and have returned for offseason training hungrier and with a greater sense of urgency by all accounts. This happened organically, but seeing how New York is responding to the Knicks has given the Jets extra motivation.
Running back Breece Hall was in a suite in San Antonio for the Knicks’ clincher on Saturday and hung out with Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. Hall said, “it was crazy” and “most of the arena was Knicks fans.” Hall counts Knicks players Mikal Bridges and Tyler Kolek among his friends. Hall is happy for them, but now he wants to experience that.
“It gives you positive jealousy,” Hall said. “I can't wait to have that feeling. So definitely positive jealousy because it's like . . . I want my team to be able to do that as well. So it was definitely very cool to see.”
Make no mistake, the Jets are not close to competing for a championship. They may feel differently, but they still have a long way to go. They don’t have a franchise leader and quarterback like Jalen Brunson is for the Knicks. But Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey are emphasizing stability and continuity as they try and build this team to accomplish what the Knicks did.
So often, the Jets would try to add a big star or stars and hope that could change the fate of the franchise. Under Mougey and Glenn, the Jets are building from within first.
It started last year when they signed Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner to four-year extensions on back-to-back days in July. Any drama or the potential of those players holding out of camp were squashed.
Mougey ultimately traded Gardner to the Colts for two first-round picks. They used one on talented tight end Kenyon Sadiq in this draft and could use the other on a potential franchise quarterback next year.
The Jets gave Lindenhurst’s Jeremy Ruckert a two-year extension last season. They locked up Hall on a three-year deal last month and guard Joe Tippmann to a four-year extension on Monday.
The message this leadership is sending players and everyone: these are not the Same Old Jets with respect to how the front office operates.
“This is something that me and Mougey talked about in great length. Make sure that we reward the guys that want to be Jets,” Glenn said. “We reward the guys that act like Jets because that helps you turn your franchise around. We're doing everything we can to make sure that happens.”
Tippmann said it shows the players in the locker room that the Jets will invest in “core foundational guys that kind of keep solidifying this team and push it in the right direction.”
That stability is important, but getting the right quarterback is critical. Mougey and Glenn are trying to assemble a ready-made offense for the new quarterback to step seamlessly into next year.
In a perfect Jets’ world, that's what would happen. But their thought process and approach is evident. The Jets’ entire starting offense is signed through next year, except for quarterback Geno Smith.
Next year, the Jets hope to add that franchise-leading quarterback, their Brunson, and maybe someday soon they will enjoy the same success as the Knicks.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
