FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Harrison Phillips and his New York Jets teammates were flying home after their first victory of the season and there was something different in the air.
It was a noticeably cheerful
group of guys, relieved they were heading into their bye week break with a win following an ugly 0-7 start.
“Yeah, it was awesome,” recalled Phillips, a veteran defensive tackle in his first season with the Jets. "You know, it’s really fun to see a different side of my teammates that I’ve never gotten to see. And that’s how you react after a win. So a lot of smiles, a lot of joking.
“It was a much more enjoyable plane ride than some of our other few.”
No kidding. This wasn't quite the start Aaron Glenn had in mind when he took over as coach of the Jets.
The former Pro Bowl cornerback was back, leading the team for which he played the first eight seasons of his 15-year NFL career. Glenn brought a no-nonsense attitude with him from Detroit, where he was the defensive coordinator the previous four seasons, and hope that he could help put together a squad, as he put it, “where the fans will look up and say, ‘We’re proud of that team.’”
Well, through eight games it has been just the opposite.
Glenn's group was the third team in franchise history to start 0-7 and he was the first coach to begin his Jets tenure with seven straight losses.
Glenn never promised a quick turnaround and has repeatedly preached about the importance in building a foundation for future success. Patience, however, is not a virtue for long-suffering Jets fans, and understandably so.
But New York's stunning 39-38 victory at Cincinnati last Sunday at least gave a glimmer of optimism that things could get back on track over the final nine weeks of the season.
“Happy for the win,” Glenn said. “We understand still where we’re at. We’re 1-7. We’re not happy about that, but it is what it is. And we get another chance, not this week because of the bye, but next week to get a chance to play Cleveland (on Nov. 9) to continue improving on the things that we’re trying to improve on as a team.”
And there's plenty to work on.
The offense has struggled mightily under first-year coordinator Tanner Engstrand, who has had to navigate a rough start for Justin Fields that included owner Woody Johnson attributing the quarterback play for much of the team's winless start.
The maligned Fields was benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor two weeks ago and appeared set to stay on the sideline until Taylor injured a knee — putting Fields back under center. He rallied with his best performance with the Jets, but he'll need to show more of the same consistently if there's any chance of him remaining the starter the rest of this season — and beyond.
“When I was on the field, I damn near started crying,” Fields said after the win. “Not because we won, but because of the goodness of God and how everything worked for the greater good. Everything I’ve been through this past week, everything that we’ve been through as a team these past seven weeks — it’s been a lot of ups and downs.”
The defense under Steve Wilks has had its moments, too — both good and bad. Too many missed tackles, penalties and blown plays helped lead to some of the losses. It came through at the end against the Bengals, though, but now the Jets need to see both sides of the ball put together complete games.
“It seemed like we’re in this valley and then we had these peaks when it comes to offense and defense,” Glenn said. “I just look forward to the time we can all put it together and play true complementary football and go out and win games that we want to win.”
The Jets are also at an interesting juncture where their playoff dreams have already fizzled, making them potential targets of teams looking to add talent before the NFL's trade deadline next Tuesday. Running back Breece Hall, wide receiver Allen Lazard and linebacker Quincy Williams have all been mentioned in speculation.
New York already made a move by dealing slot cornerback Michael Carter II to Philadelphia for wide receiver John Metchie III.
“Everybody listens, but that doesn’t mean that you act on anything,” Glenn said. “You know, when someone calls, you listen, but actions speaks louder than words, you know, so I will just put it like that.”
Deals or no more deals, the rest of this season will be about putting even more of Glenn's foundation into focus. Glenn and new general manager Darren Mougey will have to determine what players will be part of that next step in what is proving to be yet another rebuild for the franchise.
“I think more than anything,” Phillips said, referring to the vibe on the Jets' flight home, “again, it just reinstates that everything that we’re doing here has purpose and, you know, there’s a goal in sight for us.”
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