While New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey is preparing for the NFL Draft, head coach Aaron Glenn is getting his chance to make his first impression.
The Jets began their offseason workouts as Glenn auditioned in front of his roster, helping to prove himself to his new team while shaping it in its vision. Offseason workouts aren’t particularly important, and any news breaking in the coming days won’t shape the Jets season, but it’s an opportunity to plant the seeds of a new regime.
New York is early to the offseason workout party, joining the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots on Monday. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders will begin on Tuesday, getting in on the action before the rest of the league.
This isn’t a surprise, as new head coaches are permitted to get a head start in this regard. Most of the league will start their programs later in April.
Glenn spoke about the process heading into Year 1 of his administration at the owners meetings.
"I'm not here to talk about the Super Bowl, I'm not here to talk about playoffs or anything like that when the players first get in," Glenn said at the annual league meetings. "To me, it's the process of actually making it to that point. The two things that I want to make sure that we do are, first and foremost, establish a culture that we've been talking about and then try to create building an environment and understanding what Phase 1 is really all about.
"We're trying to get bigger, faster, stronger and more explosive and that's the only thing I want the players worrying about at that point. We have a lot of time for scheme, we have a lot of time to talk about Super Bowls and playoffs, but right now building our culture and building our environment in that building is the most important thing right now."
Offseason programs are conducted in three “Phases.” The first lasts for two weeks and revolves around meetings, conditioning, and rehab, helping players ramp up while mitigating injury risk. The second phase allows for individual drills and walkthroughs; it lasts three weeks. The final phase, for four weeks (and 10 sessions), is where the typical “OTAs” get their name, giving social media feeds a pleasant dose of content.
