Aaron Glenn is asking for patience, but Jets need to give reason for optimism

Aaron Glenn wants Jet fans to be patient and trust his process.

But after a disastrous December, that’s not easy to do, after four games in which the Jets weren’t competitive.

Not only will they end the month winless, but the Jets (3-13) are getting worse instead of the arrow pointing up at the end of the season. It doesn’t even seem like the Jets have hit rock bottom after their 42-10 blowout loss to the Patriots on Sunday.

At halftime, New England had more touchdowns (five) than the Jets had first downs (three). The Patriots also scored on their first six possessions.

Drake Maye threw four touchdowns before the halftime break and was benched with 5:31 left in the third quarter after his fifth passing touchdown. If that wasn’t enough, MetLife Stadium was filled with Patriots fans dressed in red, white and blue, cheering for their team while booing the Jets.

At the NFL fall meetings in October in Manhattan, Jets owner Woody Johnson told reporters, “I believe in Aaron. » When asked what he would say to Johnson after Sunday’s performance, Glenn said he wouldn’t “BSCE him for anything.”

“I think that’s a good thing about our relationship is that we’re all going to be upfront with each other,” Glenn said. “The first thing is we have to improve. I think that’s obvious. We have to improve.

“I think we’ve put our heads together and we’re starting to figure out what steps we need to take to get there. I know they believe in me. I know I believe in him. That’s why I’m glad I took this job, it’s because of the ownership and what it represents, what Moug is, what this organization is. That would be my message. I’m disappointed. I know he’s disappointed. So, now we have to figure out what we’re doing for us. ensure that we overcome this obstacle and move forward.

When Glenn became head coach of the Jets in January, he said he expected to win right away. Yet all coaches say this when they accept a job. But few people expected much from the Jets after a 5-12 season and after releasing Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams and longtime captain CJ Mosley.

But it is a more catastrophic season than many had imagined. The Justin Fields signing was a complete dud, and the Jets defense, which previously finished in the top five in yards allowed each of the last three seasons, became one of the worst in the NFL.

The Jets have regressed on both offense and defense, which is hard to do after starting the season 0-7. They have the worst passing attack in the league and their defense ranks 24th in yards and 30th in points allowed.

Glenn fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks following an embarrassing loss to Jacksonville two weeks ago. Sunday’s performance was just as bad under interim defensive coordinator Chris Harris, with players missing tackles and appearing disinterested in covering many of the Patriots’ receivers.

“It’s just disappointing,” Jets passer Jermaine Johnson said. “It’s embarrassing. That’s about it. You know, it’s a collective as a team, as a defense. I’m sure offensively they feel the same way.”

Brady Cook started his third straight game and looked a lot like an undrafted rookie quarterback after finishing 19 of 33 for 152 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception. In four games, Cook has totaled 679 yards, one touchdown and seven interceptions. The Jets are in evaluation mode, which is why Cook continues to start.

Gang Green was so bad last month that they were outscored 153-46 in their previous four games. The lack of turnovers has been a talking point all season for the Jets, who have had just three defensive putbacks and no interceptions in 16 games, which is an NFL record.

Glenn questioned the effort after the loss to the Patriots, and it’s fair to wonder if his message still resonates with many players. Jets guard John Simpson also agreed with Glenn’s thoughts on the lack of effort against the Patriots.

“It was unacceptable,” Simpson said. “We have to play better. We have to be better on offense, on defense, on the nine yards. It has to be better.”

With a loss next Sunday at Buffalo, the Jets would tie the second-most losses in a season (14) in franchise history. Glenn is the third coach to lose at least 13 games in his first season (Rich Kotte, Robert Saleh).

It appears Glenn will be safe on Black Monday and return for a second season with the Jets. The Jets probably wouldn’t have traded Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, two of their best defensive players, at the trade deadline unless that was the case.

But outside of the draft picks, there isn’t much optimism for fans to hang their hats on as the season comes to a close. The Jets will be assured of a top-three pick in the event of a loss to the Bills, which many fans hope will end with the team selecting Indiana Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza or Oregon’s Dante Moore.

But this team is not one quarterback away from competing. The Jets will have $90 million to spend in free agency, and they’ll need it. Significant changes are needed on both sides of the ball, simply to be competitive.

Glenn told fans: “Don’t let go of the rope. »

But for that to happen, the Jets will have to put a better product on the field than in year one under Glenn.

“There’s a lot of things I think we’ve improved on,” Glenn said. “And it comes more from within than what everyone sees when it comes to statistics and things like that. But I know we still have a long way to go.

“It’s not a good look when you give up that many points and you don’t score at all. And I’m not one to blame a rookie quarterback. I’m not going to sit here and blame injuries and that type of thing. I’m not going to do that. But I think all of these guys are very talented to go out there and compete at a high level and not all of us have achieved that. Coaches and players. We haven’t all achieved that.”