The New York Jets have had some bad years as a franchise, and this year will just add on to the disappointment. Going into Week 13, the team is 2-9 as they are set to face the Atlanta Falcons, and they are on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention.
At this point, the Jets are heading toward another top pick, and some fans are in the business of losing the rest of their games so they can land a good player in the draft. That mindset doesn't go along with head coach Aaron Glenn's philosophy, which is winning.
“I’m going to give you a line you guys have heard before: You play the game to win,’’ Glenn said via Dan Martin of The New York Post. “It’s just not in a coach or player’s mentality to go out there and lose a game. We’re not built that way. We’re built to go out there and play as hard as we can and try to get as many wins as we can. And then we let everything take care of itself, as far as the draft and all that.”
Does that first line sound familiar? It does, because in 2002, then-Jets head coach Herm Edwards dropped a similar line when he was asked about the team not quitting.
“You play to win the game,” Edwards said.
Back then, the Jets responded by winning four games in a row, and they were able to make a run to the playoffs. This Jets team is in a different predicament, but the same principle stands: you play to win the game.
The Jets have to take one game at a time, and the first step is worrying about the Falcons for the rest of the week. Though their playoff chances are slim, they could still finish the season strong and try to build something positive going into the offseason.
