As the New York Jets limp into early December with a grim 2-9 record, some fans have traded in their Sunday hopes for refreshing Tankathon.
Head coach Aaron Glenn, though, can’t help but laugh at the idea of fans rooting for losses.
“You play the game to win,” Glenn told reporters, reciting the iconic line from former Jets head coach Herman Edwards. “It’s not in a coach or player’s mentality to go out and lose games. We’re not built that way. Any time we step on the grass, we’re trying to improve.”
Sitting at 2-9, the Jets are hovering near the top of the draft board, entering Week 13 projected to pick fourth in April. But with six games still ahead, that placement is far from set. Their closing slate features New Orleans, which currently owns the No. 3 slot, and Miami, sitting at No. 10, two matchups among others that could reshuffle the Jets’ draft outlook in a hurry.
The idea that losing now somehow guarantees winning later is nonsensical. Fans convince themselves it’s a long-term investment, but that couldn’t be further from reality. As Glenn stated, players and coaches don’t take their foot off the gas, no matter the team’s record.
And when it comes to landing a franchise quarterback, draft position is only one tiny piece of the puzzle. What actually matters is the plan: how he is developed, the system built around him, and whether he is provided with the offensive infrastructure and support needed to succeed out of the gate.
So while fans keep mashing the refresh button on Tankathon, Glenn made one thing obvious: the Jets enter each game in pursuit of a victory.