HC Aaron Glenn radios the play on the field to LB Demario Davis, but he's not the only player anticipating the call. In defensive meetings, Glenn explained the why behind his playbook.
"We should know the call before he radios into the mic," DL Harrison Phillips said.
Players are getting quizzed by Glenn about what an offense might want to achieve depending on the situation.
" 'What is the goal of the offensive coordinator?' " Phillips said, giving an example of something Glenn might ask. "We'll get to the right answer and then he'll explain, 'This is how I counteract that.' "
Everyone's job is clear because Glenn clued in his players on his mindset when attacking different offensive looks.
"We can know what we're trying to prevent and what the offense is trying to attack, but we also know when he calls a certain call, what we're trying to get done with that call," S Minkah Fitzpatrick said.
The first-team defense has played in five series over the Jets' two preseason games so far and has not allowed the opponent to score points.
"I think we've gotten everything done that AG has wanted us to get done," Fitzpatrick said. "There's a few schematic things and a little bit of details that he wants us to hone in on these last couple weeks, but I think for the most part we've established our identity and we've figured out who we want to be."
Against the Buccaneers and the Steelers, the Green & White first-team defense forced each to punt twice, and S Andre Cisco also had an interception in Pittsburgh.
"This is the second week in a row where I thought our defense played fairly well and they were stout, but there are some things as far as our coverage we have to get better at," Glenn said Friday night after the Steelers game. "That's what training camp's for, you know, you look at this tape and try to clean up some of those things."
Phillips said those meetings with Glenn are "some of the most fun" he's been a part of and he's starting to see the field just like his play-caller.
"There's been a couple of veteran rest days where I'll sit there and just see the situation and I'll guess the call and there's been some times now that he's explaining these things and I'm really close or I'm getting it exactly right of what I think he's going to call in those situations," Phillips said. "The more guys that we have playing like that the better."
It only helps that Glenn and defensive coordinator Brian Duker understand the game the same way because of their connection that dates to their days in Cleveland.
"It felt like old times in Detroit because Duker was upstairs and he was my eyes upstairs of seeing the big picture of everything," Glenn said. "Our communication was on point like it's always been."
But now with the entire unit getting a glimpse of Glenn's approach and adopting his mentality, he'll have even more eyes on the field.
"To kind of get in the head of a defensive mastermind like that where he peels back and reveals how he sees it," Phillips said. "I've really enjoyed that."
