Two quarters after Jets coach Aaron Glenn scolded a reporter for even mentioning a quarterback change, Glenn made that very switch in another dull, uninspired loss that dropped the team to 0–7.

That backup quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, repeatedly went after Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn—one of the league’s best—to disastrous results: two interceptions and three badly underthrown passes that could have been touchdowns. On the sideline, Justin Fields stared blankly into space, perhaps wondering whether the emperor—his coach—really does have any clothes on.

Optimists will surely point to the defense’s back-to-back efforts against the Broncos, ranked 20th in EPA per play, and the Panthers, ranked 13th. But that followed matchups with the checked-out Dolphins and the defense-optional Cowboys—perfect for boosting those yardage stats. Hopefully, this latest loss ends the absurd idea that the Jets are mirroring Glenn’s former team, the Lions, or that Glenn is leading some grand rebuild similar to Detroit’s rise since 2009.

I can’t understand why people keep connecting a coach’s past as an assistant to his current job. Dozens—if not hundreds—of Bill Belichick protégés have tried and failed as head coaches, playing “Do Your Job” dress-up only to be steamrolled by teams whose leaders learned without Tom Brady. This isn’t to discredit Dan Campbell and the Lions, but having Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, and Aidan Hutchinson certainly strengthens the message.

Even with Garrett Wilson sidelined, the Jets rolled out an offense Sunday featuring two first-round offensive tackles, guard John Simpson (top 10 at his spot last year), center Joe Tippmann (arguably top 15), a second-round tight end, and running back Breece Hall, who’s topped 1,200 scrimmage yards in back-to-back seasons. Add to that former Defensive Rookie of the Year Sauce Gardner, three-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro Quinnen Williams, plus 2022 and 2023 first-rounders Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald IV—both solid contributors.

This roster won five games last year, including close losses to the Bills and Broncos, despite the owner abruptly firing the head coach midseason and sending shockwaves through the team. After a 2–2 start, people in the building genuinely believed a playoff push was possible.

It’s hard to compare that with the 2021 Lions offense scraping for snaps from Quintez Cephus, Matt Nelson, and Trinity Benson.

Let’s make this clear: the Jets shouldn’t fire Aaron Glenn, and they almost certainly won’t. Firing a coach after seven games is as shortsighted as firing one five weeks into the year following a close overseas loss to a future 14-win team.

Still, the Jets must abandon this illusion of a full-scale rebuild when their roster already features multiple cornerstone talents.

Which brings us back to the quarterback issue. The hypocrisy of Glenn’s indignation, followed by a complete reversal, is easier to forgive if he had no alternatives—if he were forced to craft an offense around Trevor Siemian and Chris Streveler, as his predecessor once did.

But it’s harder to justify now. Even with his awful outing against Denver, Justin Fields remains on pace for career highs in both passing success rate and quarterback rating. Yet Glenn keeps putting him in awkward spots—like the last two weeks, when he refused to try a Hail Mary from midfield and let the clock expire with timeouts still available.

After Sunday’s game, Glenn said his optimism comes from the energy he sees in practices each Wednesday through Friday. I spoke with many of his former players in Detroit about the Lions’ turnaround, and they said it came from accepting the misery of weekly beatdowns while believing in Dan Campbell’s unwavering faith in them—including a quarterback, Jared Goff, most thought was just a salary dump. Campbell absorbed all the blame, protected his staff and players—except Aubrey Pleasant and Anthony Lynn—and made tough benchings look calculated, not desperate.

Now, Glenn has made his first major move in search of what he calls a spark, benching the quarterback he chose instead of Aaron Rodgers. He’d better hope that spark catches—because once the practice energy fades, it’ll become obvious that the Lions comparison never fit in the first place.