When Bill Parcells was hired as head coach of the New York Jets in 1997, cornerback Aaron Glenn thought his days in green and white might be numbered.
"I thought Parcells was trying to kick me out the Jets building at one point," he said during a recent visit with Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller on SiriusXM NFL's "Movin' the Chains."
Glenn, a first-round pick of the Jets in 1994, started 47 games his first three seasons. He was a fixture in the defensive backfield and was coming off a third year when he had 4 interceptions including 2 INTs he returned for scores. But when Parcells arrived at Weeb Ewbank Hall at Hofstra University, the 5-9, 185-pound Glenn didn't know if he would be part of Parcells' plans.
"I don't want to say afraid, but one of the most intimidating parts of my career was hearing that he didn't like corners of my stature," Glenn said.
Kirwan, who worked with the Jets from 1989-97 in various roles, was in the front office when Parcells asked him the particulars on Glenn.
"He called me in and said, how tall is he exactly and I told him," Kirwan recalled. "He goes, 'man, I like, I Cover 2, 6-2 corners.' I said, well, that's not this guy. But he plays man-to-man and he's got a vertical leap. And I went through this whole thing and he just looked at me like, 'OK, you can leave now.' And then you won him over. Not me."
Concerned about his future, Glenn went into Parcells' office and got hit in the eyes with a truth fastball.
"When I went up there, he told me, 'listen, everybody has a price on their head,' " Glenn said about the conversation. "If someone's going to offer me something for you, and if I like it – you're outta here."
Glenn didn't have it easy his first three seasons as the Jets finished 10-38 under Pete Carroll (6-10 in 1994) and Rich Kotite (3-13 in '95 and 1-15 in '96). Parcells entered and flipped the culture, leading the Jets to a 29-19 mark and an AFC title game appearance in 1998. Glenn thrived under Parcells and defensive coordinator Bill Belichick, earning Pro Bowl trips following the '97 and '98 campaigns.
"He's just a real coach and to me, he's the best there is," Glenn said of Parcells. "He'll always be the best there is because of the way he'll get the best out of every single player that he's come around. He understands when to be hard on them – he understands when to put his arm around them. He's been a huge influence in my life. So I love him to death, and he's changed my life as a coach."
Glenn had 41 career interceptions over 15 NFL seasons and his 6 INTs in 1998 were a career high. At his introductory news conference, he recalled how that season ended as the Jets squandered a 10-0 halftime lead in Denver and dropped a 23-10 contest in the AFC title game. Now as a head coach, Glenn wants to finish the journey with a championship.
"Parcells comes in and he just totally brought a different mentality and different people," Glenn said. "And to me that's what really changed the culture. Here's what I learned – I can stand in front of a group of men and I can give as many rah, rah speeches as I can. But culture is about people, and getting the right people in the building, and I saw that firsthand with what Bill Parcells did."
While Parcells brought in QB Vinny Testaverde, RB Curtis Martin and LB Bryan Cox among others, he also knew that Aaron Glenn was one of the right people already in the building. Now almost 28 years later, Glenn has his opportunity to change the culture.
