Aaron Glenn’s late-game decisions have followed the New York Jets head coach since his first season, and they came roaring back in a Week 2 overtime loss to Green Bay. We wrote earlier this month that Glenn was struggling with clock management. It turns out he went to work on it right after that game.
Glenn began regular Wednesday meetings with his analytics and game-management staff after the Packers loss, Jonathan Jones of The Athletic reported Saturday. The group pulls the biggest game-management decisions from that week, reviews them and talks through how the Jets would handle the same spots. Jones wrote that the process is time-consuming but has given Glenn more clarity.
The Packers loss that started it
The Jets led 17-7 with 11:04 left in that Sept. 20 game at MetLife Stadium and lost 20-17 in overtime. Late in regulation, Green Bay faced fourth-and-5 near midfield with about a minute left, and Glenn held both of his timeouts. Matt LaFleur didn’t understand it. “I was really confused by that, and that’s why we called a timeout and tried a Hail Mary,” LaFleur said, per The Associated Press.
Glenn stood by it. “Listen, I do not regret that decision, not one bit,” he said. The Jets then won the overtime toss, took the ball and went three-and-out.
The workload is part of the problem. Glenn took over defensive play-calling this season, a job he once called his superpower, so he is coach, coordinator and game manager at once. We broke down that return to play-calling when he made it.
Is it showing up yet?
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The Jets are 2-3, and both one-possession losses came against the Packers and Lions. Glenn leans on a game-management group led by game-management coordinator Jon Berger and data scientist Arjun Menon. “That’s a huge factor in helping in those decisions,” Glenn said, via NFL.com.
Last week’s 17-12 win over Cleveland didn’t come down to a big clock decision. Sunday at Gillette Stadium might. The upset bid against New England starts with pressuring Drake Maye, but closing it out could put those Wednesday sessions to the test. Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET.
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