As the clock ticks down to his first game as head coach of the New York Jets, Aaron Glenn knows that he and his players will be dealing with their emotions. And for Glenn, his bundle of feelings on Sunday are no different than what he felt as a Green & White rookie preparing for his first NFL game, against Buffalo in 1994.

"Really hard to tell until I get up that Sunday and really see how I'm going to feel," he told reporters on Tuesday. "I just knew back then I was matched up against Andre Reed, so that's a tale in itself, of going against a player like that, and plus Buffalo in general."

He added: "So I was nervous. I know I was, and I'm sure I'll be nervous for this one. And that's just who I am. You know, I always have that within my body. I could feel it, but at some point, man, it goes away. Really, really quick, and I get dialed into what I have to do. As a coach, I know, and I did as a player."

And he knows that his players will certainly experience a range of emotions in the minutes before the start of the game against visiting Pittsburgh and Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Jets do have some valuable intelligence on the veteran having had players like Sauce Gardner, Quincy Williams, Jamien Sherwood and others having faced him regularly in practice the past couple of seasons.

Asked if he sees value in their experience, Glenn said: "You know what? I do. This guy's a vet – he's seen it all. He's seen it all. He's went against a number of guys. But I do think there is some value to our guys being able to be a part of that. Here's what I do know also. I know that those guys had a really good relationship, and he's talked to them just about football in general. And our guys, they really took that in, and they've grown from all those things. So, there's value to making sure that you're on a team with a player like that and I know he helped those guys a lot."

But as far as conceding anything to the Steelers and their QB, Glenn, who has had experience against Green Bay from his time as the defensive coordinator in the NFC North with Detroit, is confident in his ability and in the ability of his defense.

"The thing is that we have to do a really good job of making sure we give different looks and make sure we try to make it as hard as we can on him, because he's seen it all," Glenn said.

Glenn, along with GM Darren Mougey, OC Tanner Engstrand, DC Steve Wilks and the rest of the coaching staff, have brought along a sea change in attitude and in approach. The Jets are among the youngest teams in the NFL with an average age of 25.8 years, with a roster that includes all seven of the team's 2025 draft picks and many players with only a few years of NFL experience.

"I have a pretty good understanding of exactly where we are as a team and the things that we were trying to create going into and going through training camp," Glenn said. "I think we're very, very close, and I'm going to continue to assess that as I go through the season. No, we're not there yet, and we're not going to be perfect at all, but those are things that I will never stop looking at because I want to make sure we reach that plateau of being the team that we try to create ... fighting our [expletives] off to get there. I do know that they [the players] know exactly what it is, and we can continue to strive for that."

Without throwing out a number, Glenn has his own way to measure what a successful season will look like.

"I want to be a team where the fans will look up and say, 'we're proud of that team,' and if they say that, I'll be happy," he said. "I'll be happy, because within that, I know that wins will come."

And regardless of personal histories, quarterbacks changing teams (with Justin Fields signing in free agency with the Jets after a season in Pittsburgh), or anything else, Glenn was emphatic about his approach.

"It doesn't matter who you play, you want to kick somebody's butt any time you go out on the grass," he said. "It doesn't matter if you're playing Arizona, Pittsburgh, or Cleveland. It doesn't matter. You want to beat the hell out of anyone you go against."