Mougey’s Defensive Upgrades put Aaron Glenn Under Microscope

Anyone who saw Aaron Glenn stand and watch hopelessly from the sidelines last season as teams ran the ball up and down the field against his defense are surely paying attention to what the head coach does this year.  With Glenn taking over the defensive coordinator role after Darren Mougey made plenty of upgrades on that side of the ball, Glenn’s self-proclaimed “super power” of calling plays will be tested.  Especially on the ground.

Last year’s defense, led by Steve Wilkes for most of the season, ranked 29th in rushing yards allowed, 23rd in yards per carry (4.4) and tied for 29th in rushing touchdowns allowed with twenty.  That’s just not going to cut it if Glenn and the Jets are hoping to start to turn this thing around.

Luckily for the head coach, tons of reinforcements have been brought in to fix the problem.

First and foremost, Mougey went out and traded for Tennesee Titans nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat.  A 360 lb behemoth to man the middle of the Jets 3-4 defensive front.  When the Jets switch to a 4-3, Sweat will likely see time next to free agent addition David Onyemata.  Onyemata spent some time in New Orleans with returning free agent linebacker DeMario Davis, who recently called the DT one of the top five run stoppers he has ever played with.  Davis would go on to say that having Onyemata playing on the defensive line makes a “noticeable difference”.

Then of course there’s Davis himself.  The seemingly ageless linebacker has been an elite run defender for many years now, and he’ll be playing behind Sweat, Onyemata and returning DT’s Jowon Briggs and Harrison Phillips.  And while he’s yet to be battle tested in an NFL game, fifht-round draft choice Darrell Jackson was one of the better run stoppers in college football last season.  He may not have been an early-round pick, but don’t be surprised if he sees plenty of playing time.

Add to that the fact that safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and Dane Belton have come on board via trade and free agency respectively, and you’ve added plenty of experienced players who have a history of playing at a high level against the run.

This isn’t to say the Jets don’t have questions on the back end in the secondary because they certainly do.  But if you can’t stop the run, none of that will matter.  If teams are free to run at will, they’ll happily chew up the clock, light up the scoreboard and call it a day.  Here’s to hoping Aaron Glenn’s confidence matches Mougey’s added talent and the Jets can get going on the right track.

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