As Aaron Glenn embarks on the next stage of his head-coaching journey with the New York Jets, it's only natural to trace back to his playing days when Bill Parcells arrived, shook up the organization and flipped its fortunes. Just like one of his most prominent mentors, Glenn is intent on creating a seismic shift for a Jets team that will kick off the 2025-26 NFL season against the Steelers Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

"I wanted these guys to know that we were going to implement something that was going to be different," Glenn said this week. "And that different doesn't mean that it's a wholesale change as far as players or whatnot but how we go about doing things. And I think our players did feel that I wanted to make sure I provided that not just to the players but to also the whole building. One of things I used to say when I came in was -- I want to shake the building. I want the building to know that this is a new era and it's going to take all of us to make sure there is change here and I wanted to make sure that happened."

'A Detailed, Disciplined, Highly Competitive Team'
A brand name around these parts, Glenn, a first-round pick of the Jets in 1994 who played eight seasons with New York's AFC representative and who returned as a scout in 2012-13, has been working on team brand since he returned home in January.

"I want to be a detailed and disciplined and highly, highly competitive team and then there are also some things that I also want to do to give us an advantage," he said. "I try to keep those things close to the vest if that's OK, but those are the things that we really wanted to work on. That's the brand of our team, just making sure that we create an identity and what are the things that we are going to try to create an advantage for ourselves and that's our total brand."

Glenn and GM Darren Mougey made Justin Fields their quarterback priority and Fields will begin his Jets' career against a Pittsburgh team he went 4-2 with as a starter last year. He is an explosive dual threat who will be challenged by a Steelers defense that produced a league-high 33 takeaways last season. Glenn, the defensive coordinator in Detroit the past four years, knows firsthand what kind of pressure Fields puts on a defense.

"Obviously his ability to maneuver with the ball in his hands," Glenn said. "Some of these things that he did in college with his quarterback run game -- I think he's exceptional at that.

And the things that he might not get credit for are his ability to get guys in and out of the huddle, his ability to understand the coverage concepts that he's about to go against and his ability to deliver the ball. Now does he have to get better at some of those things? "Absolutely and he will tell you that, and I'm OK saying that," Glenn said. "But the thing is he's improving every day in that aspect and I'm proud of exactly where he's at and what he's doing, and I know he's going to do good for us."

'A Couple of Dogs on That Line'
The Jets were dealt a major blow this week when veteran RG Alijah Vera-Tucker was ruled out for the season due to a torn triceps, so rookie RT Armand Membou will have a new neighbor when contending with game-wrecker T.J. Watt. But the Jets' defensive line promises to be a formidable unit in its own right as new DT acquisition Harrison Phillips will line up next to Quinnen Williams on the interior and the explosive Will McDonald IV will reunite with a healthy Jermaine Johnson.

"I'm excited about that group," Glenn said. "Listen, we have a couple of dogs on that line and not just our starting guys. Even our backups, they're built the same way and there's a certain type of mentality that I want when it comes to defensive line and all those guys have that and we're still working to work together. And that's one thing as a defensive line has to do, they have to complement each other in some form, way or fashion and we try to make sure we get that in practice. Listen we have a ways to go, but I like exactly where we are when it comes to that front."

The Jets will again come front and center with Aaron Rodgers. The Jets' season-opening starter in 2023-24, Rodgers, who joined the Steelers in June, will operate an offense coordinated by Arthur Smith.

"Here's the tough thing about this first game especially when you're going about to where, OK okay there is a little bit of unknown within this, so you really have to really understand what does Arthur likes to do and then what does Aaron like to do and try to make sure you prepare for those things," Glenn said. "The one thing I told our team is we have to be really, really good at adjusting and then executing because within this game you just don't know what you're getting. But we have a good amount of tape to look and be able to prepare and say exactly how we're going to go about this plan."

'Everything They Got'
While Glenn and Steelers HC Mike Tomlin are both 53, Glenn is at the start of his head-coaching trek and Tomlin is entering Year 19 of an unprecedented run. Coach T has guided Pittsburgh to a .500-or-better record in each of his 18 seasons as head coach, the longest streak to begin an HC tenure in NFL history.

"To be able to call him and just talk to him and be able to say the issues that he's been through and how did he overcome those issues because being a head coach can be a lonely place now," Glenn said. "And for him to be able to do it so long and to have the success he's had, it's special, it's special. So I'm looking forward to competing against him in this game because it will tell us exactly where we are as far as a team. I'm looking forward to this."

Before an earthquake, stress builds up along fault lines. But Glenn is anything but stressful prior to MetLife Stadium shaking on Sunday.

"Maybe it's my faith that gives me peace of mind to know I put everything I can to prepare this team, to get this team ready to play," Glenn said. "And there is a lot of confidence in those players with me, so that gives me a lot of rest as far as peace of mind that we are going to go out there and operate. Is it going to be perfect? No, it's not going to be perfect. But I know for a fact that I'm giving them everything I got, and I know for a fact they're going to give me everything they got."