By Blessing 
Aaron Glenn’s Rough Start Is Drawing Familiar — and Unwanted — Comparisons
Aaron Glenn was expected to energize the New York Jets — to bring the same passion and spark Dan Campbell brought to Detroit. But only seven games into his debut season, Glenn is beginning to remind fans of a very different former Lions head coach.
At 0–7, the Jets are the only winless team in the league, and another loss to the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend would send them into November without a single victory. Glenn’s frustration has started to spill over. He’s been short-tempered with reporters, snapping back during press conferences and using postgame appearances to defend his choices rather than rally his players or reassure fans.
The results haven’t helped his case. The Jets sit at the bottom of the NFL standings, and the fiery attitude that once seemed like leadership now feels more like irritation. The more Glenn digs in, the faster the public mood is turning against him.
He keeps referencing Campbell’s Lions as a model — both as motivation and as a shield — but the resemblance is fading fast. Instead of Campbell’s mix of positivity and grit, Glenn’s demeanor has turned more defensive, even prickly. To many fans, he’s beginning to resemble Matt Patricia: combative, losing, and unwilling to take criticism.
Some Jets supporters are already saying it out loud. SNY’s Connor Hughes compared Glenn to Patricia after a tense exchange with reporters about the team’s quarterback situation for Week 8. Glenn refused to name a starter, repeating vague answers and lashing out when pressed.
In fairness, he was asked the same question several times in different ways. But the tone mattered. As NFL analyst Marcus Mosher put it bluntly: “Being a jerk and being bad isn’t a good look.”
That’s the heart of the problem. Many head coaches have clashed with the media, but that approach only works when you’re winning. With an 0–7 record, Glenn’s defensiveness just feeds the criticism.
Winning fixes everything — but until that happens, Glenn and the Jets will remain an easy target for scrutiny. Right now, the attitude that once looked confident seems thin-skinned.
It’s the same trap that doomed Patricia in Detroit. His hard-edged persona and curt media style backfired when the losses piled up, alienating both reporters and players. The perception shifted quickly from “tough coach” to “overwhelmed and out of touch.”
Glenn risks heading down that same road. Unless he can deliver results soon, his fiery personality may end up defining his downfall — and the comparisons to Patricia will only grow louder.