Al Iannazzone: After an offseason of change, nothing has changed for the Jets
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL game against Kansas City on Sunday in Kansas City, Mo. Credit: AP/Charlie Riedel
The Jets changed so many things in the offseason. They filled holes and addressed needs on both sides of the football. They brought in better leaders and more experienced players and play-callers.
And after all of those changes, nothing has changed.
The Jets were 2-7 after nine games last year. They’re 2-7 after nine games this season. Their seventh loss came Sunday in Kansas City, 35-12, in a game that looked as if it could be competitive until the Jets did what the Jets do.
They fell apart, failed to execute, gave up big plays and became undisciplined. They were outscored 28-3 in the final 35:37 of the game. Their fourth straight defeat was their most lopsided of the season.
There was never an official edict put on coach Aaron Glenn for him to keep his job beyond this season. It was understood that turning around a team that hadn’t made the playoffs since the 2010 season was no easy task and would take some time. But for Glenn to remain their coach, the Jets needed to show significant, tangible progress this season.
Having the same record as a year ago — when the Jets opened the Glenn era with seven consecutive losses — is not progress.
The Jets have been more competitive than they were last season, but their inability to finish drives with seven points instead of three, their poor clock management at the end of halves and their defensive slippage have made them 2-7 instead of 5-4 or 4-5.
Four or five victories at this point would be the kind of progress that their fans and probably some decision-makers in the Jets’ building would see as tangible and a reason to keep moving in the same direction.
Jets owner Woody Johnson does not want to fire Glenn, but it seems inevitable, whether it’s this week, the Jets’ bye week or after the season.
Glenn came in with bluster and bravado. He’s lost both of those attributes, along with 21 of the 26 games he’s coached.
He sounded like someone searching for answers after this latest loss. He said he would have “a lot of thinking to do” to figure out how to get the Jets to put two good halves of football together and fix their red-zone issues.
If you’re truly evaluating Glenn, the biggest thing is the defensive struggles. He has said that calling the defense is his “superpower,” but he hasn’t backed it up. The Jets allowed three second-half touchdowns and at least 35 points for the second straight game.
If the defense can’t get a stop and get off the field, then the offense — which has its own shortcomings under coordinator Frank Reich — would need to play perfect football for the Jets to have a chance to win.
“Defensively,” Glenn said, “we didn’t hold up well against the run in the second half.”
Kansas City’s top two backs, Kenneth Walker III and Emmett Johnson, had a combined 136 yards rushing and averaged 5.7 yards per carry. Each rushed for a touchdown and Walker also caught two TD passes.
The Jets, meanwhile, did not score a touchdown, and — after being sacked on fourth-and-3 in the second half — quarterback Geno Smith showed some frustration on the field and the sideline for the first time this season.
That’s something that’s been building for Smith. The Jets had a first-and-goal at the 4 on the game’s opening drive and couldn’t punch it in. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the same thing happened the previous week (when they had a first down at the 2) and the week before (when they had a first down at the 1).
“I’m pretty frustrated with myself, personally,” Smith said. “Just looking at how I can be better for the guys and be a better quarterback so we can get it done.”
The Jets were in Kansas City territory on five of their six possessions in the first half. They attempted five field goals. Jason Sanders made four of them, but you need to get TDs instead of field goals against most teams, especially Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes.
The defense forced two takeaways, giving Smith the ball at the Kansas City 30 and 35, respectively. Both possessions ended in field-goal tries — one make, one miss.
“Your offense has to come on the field and have that mentality like ‘we have to score, we have to get the job done,’ ” running back Breece Hall said. “I feel like we didn’t do that enough.”
Not just in this game. It’s an ongoing theme for the Jets. It’s something Glenn said he will take “a good hard look at and see how we can get better at that.”
He already should have been looking at it. It’s not new. Nothing for the Jets ever seems to be new or different. A lot has changed in the last year, and yet nothing has changed.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
