DETROIT — New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn pushed back on criticism of the team’s late-clock decisions, saying the process is deliberate and discussed in meetings before each game. Glenn said he and game management coordinator Jon Berger meet on Thursdays to develop a plan and again on Saturdays to refine it, and they communicate during games to handle timing decisions.
The report noted the Jets have struggled in the final four minutes of each half. Across 19 games, the point differential in those periods is minus-55, including minus-10 this season, and the team has gone seven straight games without scoring in the last four minutes of either half. In the past two games, the Jets ran a combined 17 plays on their final first-half drives, holding the ball for five minutes, 10 seconds, but failed to advance past the opponents’ 47-yard line.
Offensive coordinator Frank Reich acknowledged responsibility for a recent end-of-half stall, saying he needed to be better in those situations and that Glenn’s instructions were to run out the clock to set up consecutive possessions after the second-half kickoff. Reich declined to discuss one end-of-regulation play in which the team did not call a timeout and allowed the Green Bay Packers to use the final minute, saying that was not his question.
Berger, whom the report described as a long-time NFL staffer, joined the Jets last year after more than 30 years with the New York Giants as a computer coordinator and senior director of football information. He served as the NFL’s vice president of replay from August 2023 until May 2024. Former Jets passing game coordinator Scott Turner, who was fired after last season, posted on X that Berger is among the best in the league but added that the coach must heed his advice.
The report also noted quarterback Geno Smith entered Sunday against the Detroit Lions without an interception in 65 pass attempts. Smith rejected the notion that he is prone to turnovers, urging reporters to study game film. A review cited in the report said five of his 17 interceptions last season were deflections and that he was off target on only four of those throws, according to ESPN Research.