Cowboys' Brian Schottenheimer defends Aaron Glenn despite Jets' 0-5 record

Aaron Glenn made history by becoming the first head coach in the history of the New York Jets to start his tenure with five straight defeats via Sunday's 37-22 home loss to the Dallas Cowboys (2-2-1). 

Following the game, first-year Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer defended Glenn amid takes suggesting the Jets could be looking for a new head coach during a second straight offseason. 

Aaron Glenn has a big fan in Brian Schottenheimer

"I’m a big Aaron Glenn fan," Schottenheimer told Ian O'Connor of The Athletic. "He’s going to build the right culture. He’s going to get his guys playing the right way. …I believe identity matters, and that’s what Aaron is going to find with this team. ...The biggest thing you’ve got to do is find an identity, and what’s hard is when you’re not winning. You want to win so the guys buy into what you’re doing."

As ESPN's Rich Cimini pointed out, the identity of the 2025 Jets involves them being the first team in NFL history since turnovers became an official stat in 1933 to not record a single takeaway in the first five games of a season. A Jets defense that is supposed to be the team's strength was responsible for the club falling into a 30-3 hole with 4:33 remaining in the third quarter of Sunday's contest. 

According to ESPN stats, only the Baltimore Ravens (35.4) are allowing more points per game than the Jets (31.4) five weeks into the campaign. 

Brian Schottenheimer reacts to "same old Jets" takes

As for Schottenheimer, he served as the offensive coordinator for the 2009 and 2010 Jets teams that came within a win of appearing in a Super Bowl. Thus, it's somewhat understandable that he isn't fond of the "same old Jets" takes that are hovering over the franchise in early October.

"I don’t buy into that because we won here," Schottenheimer said about the "same old Jets" label. "S—, we went to back-to-back AFC Championship Games. Some of my best years in coaching were here with the Jets. We had a lot of success, and we were right there. So no, I don’t think so. I think it just takes time, and you need the right leader."

Glenn will need to pick up wins sooner rather than later to show he's the right leader for an organization that shares the longest active postseason drought across the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS with the NHL's Buffalo Sabres (14 seasons). As of Monday morning, ESPN BET had the winless Jets as 7.5-point underdogs for this coming Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos (3-2) that will take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.