Aaron Glenn wanted to coach a team that Jets fans could be proud of — they’re still waiting

Look, nobody thought this Jets team was going to the Super Bowl this year. The flaws were evident all offseason. They had no depth at wide receiver. They were rolling the dice with Justin Fields at quarterback. They had issues on the defensive line and in the secondary. 

That led to a question of what a successful first season for Aaron Glenn would look like. It was a question I heard a few times in the spring and summer, and I had a few thoughts (more on that later). But it was also a question that Glenn himself got before the team’s season opener with the Steelers. 

“I want to be a team where the fans will look up and say, ‘We’re proud of that team,’ and if they say that, I’ll be happy,” Glenn said. “I’ll be happy, because within that, I know that wins will come.” 

I thought it was a really good answer at the time. He did not put a win total or anything tangible out there. It can be hard to define what makes fans proud. Maybe the Jets would lose games, but they’d be close ones and fans would be happy with that.