How to build a team part 1
The New York Jets are nearly starting from scratch AGAIN, with a new group of people. Some we know, while others we were just introduced to. I have always liked Aaron Glenn from his time with the Jets as a player. As a defensive coordinator I have been uninspired by the results in recent years. That doesn’t mean he can’t be great as a head coach. There is a world of difference between a coordinator and a head coach. Rarely does a great coordinator become a great head coach. It happens, but the failure rate is much higher than you might expect. I am willing to give Aaron Glenn a chance. I never wanted Adam Gase and I was proved right by his ineptitude on a weekly basis. If Glenn can be a Mike Tomlin type of head coach and let his coordinators work while he takes care of the players, he will have a chance to be the best head coach the Jets have had since Bill Parcells.
Darren Mougey is the new Jets general manager. He was hired only a couple of weeks ago after spending the last 12 seasons with the Denver Broncos. It’s not like Denver was a powerhouse during his tenure, but that doesn’t mean he is doomed to failure like the past few Jets general managers.
I was elated when the Jets hired Joe Douglas. His opening news conference was a revelation, as he stated he was going to “enforce his will” on other teams by dominating in the trenches. He talked a great game, but it was all hyperbole as he never used his assets to realize his vision. His failure was in poor drafting (except for the 2022 draft) and poor scouting of players he chose to bring into the organization. My elation over the hiring of Joe Douglas was poorly placed. He failed miserably.
If Darren Mougey wants to succeed where so many others have failed it might be smart to look at the Super Bowl champions as a model of success. Howie Roseman has been with the Eagles organization since 2000, but he wasn’t elevated to the general manager position until 2010. Roseman started as something of a figurehead, subservient to head coach Andy Reid, who had the final say in all things relating to the team. In 2015 Roseman was promoted to executive vice president of football operations as Chip Kelly became general manager. When Kelly was fired Roseman returned as de facto general manager in 2016. Since then he has won two Super Bowls (LII and LIX), which are the only Super Bowl wins in Eagles history.
The Blueprint
The key to competing for championships is to control the line of scrimmage. The rest of the team must mesh, but the offensive and defensive lines are crucial to success in the NFL. I have preached this fundamental truth for years.
Offensive line
You want a proficient offensive line that has the ability to protect the quarterback and open holes in the run game. The Eagles offensive line is huge, which can wear down opponents over time, but its #1 goal is to protect the quarterback. The NFL is a passing league, so you want to protect the quarterback. You saw in the Super Bowl that early on, before the Kansas City Chiefs were forced to blitz heavily, Jalen Hurts had all kinds of time to survey the defense.
Opening holes in the run game is also very important because it keeps an offense ahead of the chains and reduces the need for the quarterback to win every game. I stated that the NFL is a passing league, but to win in the NFL you must also be able to run the football.
It’s very difficult to put together 10 or 12 play drives every time you have the ball in order to score. NFL defenses play a plethora of “umbrella” type defenses that keep two safeties back, which make it nearly impossible to throw deep with great efficiency. When you can run the football with great ability you force defenses to drop a safety into the box, which takes away much of the deep protection in the passing game. When you have the power as an offense to make a defense change what they want to do, you are already ahead of the game.
When you take an excellent offensive line, then add a star like Saquon Barkley at running back, it makes the offense much more dynamic. Saquon averaged 5.8 yards a carry with 13 touchdowns in 2024. Defenses feared him. Saquon was the same player in 2023 with the New York Giants, but the lack of a proficient offensive line held him to 962 yards and 3.9 yards a carry. Same guy just different offensive lines.
The Eagles were fortunate to have Jeff Stoutland as their offensive line coach. He is one of the best in the industry. He is the longest tenured coach in the organization, as he came in with the Chip Kelly regime. The Eagles were smart to keep him around through coaching changes, understanding his value as a coach.
The Eagles offensive line is not elite in run or pass blocking, but they are definitely in the top 10 in each. Sacks are not a great way to define an offensive line, since many factors come into play, not all of which are in the offensive line’s control. The mobility of a quarterback can be a boon to the team in terms of rushing yards, but it often makes it difficult for pass protectors since they don’t know where their quarterback will be at times.
Defensive Line
The Eagles defensive line has the same proficiency as the offensive line, but in a different way. The Eagles defensive line is huge and young. They have Jordan Davis (6’ 6” 336 lbs) who is 25 years old and Jalen Carter (6’ 3” 314 lbs) who is 23 years old at defensive tackle. On the outside they have Josh Sweat (6’ 5” 265 lbs) with great quicks and is 27 years old. Sweat has 35 sacks since 2019. They also have Nolan Smith, who was the 30th overall pick of the Eagles in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. Smith is a freak athlete. This group is able to stop the run while rushing the passer in a controlled fashion.
The Eagles defense ranked #2 in the NFL in points allowed and #1 in yards allowed in this past season. This is with a defense that had cornerback Darius Slay have a poor season, as he was rated #69 of 223 cornerbacks by PFF. The Eagles secondary as a whole had a mediocre year even while playing in front of one of the best front sevens in the league.
What made this defensive line so extraordinary was they were able to rush the passer while staying in their lanes. In the Super Bowl Patrick Mahomes was able to run for 25 yards on 4 attempts, but he was also sacked 6 times. The Eagles limited Mahomes by scheme. They didn’t rush the passer, they compressed the pocket, which keeps the quarterback from escaping. By doing so the quarterback has a decreasing area to step up into to make a throw, which hinders his accuracy. That can lead to interceptions and errant throws. In a league with quarterbacks having increasing mobility over the years it is crucial for a defensive line to not allow quarterbacks to run for easy first downs. This killed the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, as Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts led the Eagles with 72 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The Eagles were able to destroy a great Kansas City offense by forcing Mahomes to throw the ball from a collapsing pocket. While the Eagles first string defense was on the field they built a 40-6 lead. The leading Kansas City rusher was Patrick Mahomes, who had 25 yards rushing, with almost all coming late in the game.
The Jets defensive line generated great pressure at times in 2024, but they allowed huge lanes for quarterbacks to escape game after game. The Jets need a defensive coordinator who will employ a “compress the pocket” type of assault while forcing the quarterback to make plays from the pocket. This prevents easy first downs, and it forces more interceptions, as the QB has to get rid of the football or take a sack.
Offensive & Defensive line coaches
The offensive and defensive line coaches are some of the most important hires for a team. Aaron Glenn brought over Steve Heiden with him from the Detroit Lions which seems like a great hire. Heiden is quoted as saying:
“To its core, football hasn’t changed since Dan [Campbell] and I were playing the position. It’s still about physicality first, and then you go into the game with that mindset, that approach. But most of the time, the rest will take care of itself. I still think you can win a bunch of games in this league just being more physical than your opponent. Now obviously as you go, you tie other things on top of that – your technique, your fundamentals, your discipline, your approach to the game and all that, but I think it starts with physicality, and I don’t think that will change.”
If Heiden is sincere in this mantra then the Jets are in good hands going forward.
The Jets new defensive line coach is Eric Washington, who was the Carolina Panthers defensive line coach from 2011-2017. He got the job because he has worked with new Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks in the past. When Wilks left the Panthers to become head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, Washington took over as Panthers defensive coordinator for two seasons. We will give him the benefit of the doubt since those Panther defenses were pretty good during his time there.
Summary
You need to build a team from the inside out. Start in the trenches where the game is often won or lost. Once you build those dominant lines, they must be refreshed every draft with players who can be real factors in the years to come. Never forget the mantra of reinforcing the lines when possible. You may lose a few players over the years who will demand higher salaries than you might want to spend. Yet if you stick to your mantra and draft well you will have ready replacements at a much lower cost.