Jets head coach Aaron Glenn defends clock-management decision in OT loss

Aaron Glenn isn’t listening to the critics.

While many have questioned the New York Jets head coach’s decision not to call a timeout late in regulation of an eventual overtime loss to the favoured Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Glenn is standing by his call.

After forcing a fourth-and-five for the Packers at the Jets’ 45-yard line with about one minute left in a game tied at 17-17, Glenn did not call a timeout.

Instead, the Packers ran the play clock out and took a delay-of-game penalty, which resulted in an automatic 10-second runoff, leaving just 11 seconds left. The Packers then ran out the clock.

The Jets decided to play for overtime but wound up losing after blowing a 10-point lead.

Asked about it Monday, Glenn laid out his reasoning.

“Between me and our game-management guys, our analytical guys, we talk through those situations quite a bit,” Glenn told reporters. “That situation actually came up in a number of our conversations where, when we have the punter at the logo, we don’t want to put ourselves in a situation where we get our guys in a backed-up situation.

“I know that we’re talking about getting our offence going in that situation. But the thing is they had two timeouts also. If you put yourself in a backed-up situation and things don’t go as planned, I think you’re giving the team an opportunity to go down there and be able to make a play. I just felt like that was the right decision to do at that point. We actually wanted to play for overtime when it came to that.”

With the Jets (1-1) owning the NFL’s longest current playoff drought, the call and the ensuing result put the spotlight on Glenn.

The Jets are next in Detroit to face the Lions. Glenn was defensive co-ordinator for the Lions before taking the Jets’ top job prior to last season.