Sauce Gardner may no longer be in New York, but the All-Pro cornerback still had great things to say about the culture Aaron Glenn is building with the New York Jets.
Gardner, who was dealt at the trade deadline in a blockbuster midseason move to the Indianapolis Colts that signaled a rebuild, recently spoke about Glenn’s leadership and why he believes the soon-to-be second-year head coach is positioned to take a step forward now that the foundation year is behind him.
For Gardner, the tone Glenn sets daily is what stood out most.
“(Glenn) has a very tough mindset,” Gardner said, per Yahoo. “Like, this the way that things gonna be. And 99.9% of the time, that’s the right way. He’s gonna discipline his players. And if you not on the same accord, then he’s not gonna be there.”
That message, Gardner said, was established early, and it didn’t ever change, even as the Jets were one of, if not the worst team in the NFL throughout the season.
Players understood quickly that Glenn, a former NFL player himself, wasn’t interested in not playing hard. Even after being traded, Gardner said that he’s excited to watch how that standard is set now that Glenn has a full season behind him.
“So, I’m excited to see what they have in store,” Gardner said. “Him having a whole season of seeing. All right, this is what we need. And this is the group of men that we need. I truly believe him and (General Manager Darren) Mougey, them two cooking together, they gonna do their thing.”
That coach-GM duo Gardner spoke about is what the Jets are hoping will take them out of this mess. Around the league, the Jets haven’t done as well of a job as nearly every team, but that can change if Glenn and the players buy in.
Gardner’s trade, while surprising to many, was a signal of that long-term vision. Moving a star talent signaled that no player was safe, perhaps outside of Garrett Wilson. With the offseason here, it’d make sense if the Jets have the same approach.
Regardless, it seems like Glenn was liked by his former star, so hopefully the rest of the team feels that way.