Aaron Glenn is experiencing the turbulence that comes with trying to turn around a flailing franchise.
The New York Jets' first-year coach endured a 0-7 start and has lost three straight, falling to 3-12. On Monday, Glenn preached patience to frustrated Gang Green fans who have endured 15 straight seasons without seeing a playoff game and 10 consecutive campaigns with seven or fewer victories.
"For the fans, listen, it's going to be a tough road," he said, via ESPN. "We knew that, but, man, the thing is, we know exactly what we're doing. We have a plan. Just don't let go of the rope, I would say that.”
So far, it’s been difficult to see that plan.
Sunday’s 29-6 blowout loss to a fellow rebuilding club in New Orleans highlighted just how far behind the Jets are from competing. New York has slid backwards on both offense and defense compared to last year’s five-win campaign.
"From Day 1, we've been trying to set the foundation of what we want this team to be," Glenn said. "A lot of that is from an in-house perspective, for the most part."
The Jets traded away stars Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams for draft picks at the deadline, in hopes of adding pieces to build that foundation.
The biggest concern heading into the offseason is the quarterback position. Justin Fields was ineffective before being benched, Tyrod Taylor is no more than a veteran backup, and undrafted rookie Brady Cook has predicably struggled, tossing six interceptions and taking 17 sacks in three games. If the Jets can’t finally solve their generations-long QB dilemma in the offseason, nothing will change at Florham Park.
In the meantime, Glenn wants to see his team battle to close the season against playoff teams New England and Buffalo.
"We plan on going out there and playing our best and giving effort," he said. "We plan on going out there and winning the game also, all right? We do. We want to go out there and put on a good show for our fans. We know it's our last home game (versus New England in Week 17). We look forward to it.
"We know it's a really, really good opponent, so there's nothing better than us going out there and probably spoiling what they're trying to accomplish as a team and making sure our last game is a game our fans can remember."