Through all of his football travels -- from DC at Johnson C. Smith University in 1995 until this season as DC of the Jets -- Steve Wilks had never worked with or for HC Aaron Glenn. Certainly their paths have crossed over the years, but as men working for opposing organizations. Wilks is a big fan of the first-year coach as they prepare for the regular season opener against visiting Pittsburgh on Sept. 7.

"It's been phenomenal," Wilks said. "I think he has done a tremendous job in just the structure and creating the foundation and building this culture that we have right now. The emphasis that we put on from a standpoint of getting the guys prepared for the number of reps that we endured throughout practice, the physicality of our practices.

"I've seen it over the years to where, the first part of the season when you start talking about a lot of missed tackles, a lot of miscues, it's because they haven't really gone through that throughout training camp, and he's put us in those positions. As much as we work on situational football, it's going to come up at some point in time throughout the year, and I think our players are in tune to that. So, he's doing a hell of a job, and I'm excited to be here with him."

Glenn's prescription for success has been embraced by Wilks and all concerned.

"Physicality, number one," he said. "Playing smart, not beating ourselves. And that was one where it wasn't indicative of who we are." He added: "Our talent level and the things that we can accomplish out there is phenomenal, but we can't beat ourselves. So, being smart and the physicality that we play with."

The Justin Fields Fit

After apprenticeships under multiple coaches including Jim Harbaugh and Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand will direct the Jets' offensive attack in 2025-26. He will tailor his system to his personnel, but he has thrown a lot at dual threat Justin Fields and the dual-threat QB has embraced his third offense in three years.

"We're always going to do what the players do best, like what do they excel at, and we'll find ways to do that," Engstrand said. "But there's also things that are in our system that he may have not done before or I know he has not done before that we're challenging him to see if he can do that. And I think, so far, he has shown he can do that. Actually, we're pleased with where he's at with all those things."

There is no tape on Engstrand in regular-season action, and nobody knows how he'll attack with an explosive athlete at the QB position.

"Generally, people are putting forward their vanilla or base installation plays," Engstrand said in training camp. "We're running some of these concepts that you're going to see throughout the year, but some of the extras, you're maybe not seeing so much right now, for sure."

STC Chris Banjo on K Nick Folk: 'Probably Not Much He Hasn't Seen'

Jets special team coordinator Chris Banjo was a senior at Kempner High School in Sugar Land, TX, in 2007 when Nick Folk began his kicking career in the NFL after being selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round (No. 178 overall) of the NFL Draft that year.

Eighteen years later, Banjo, 35, who played 10 years in the league, is charged with overseeing the Jets' special teams and Folk, 40, the placekicker who is about to embark on his 18th season in the league and eighth (2010-16) with the Green & White. Folk is back with the Jets after two seasons in Tennessee, joining the team during training camp and giving Banjo a steady leg for all to stand on.

"I think that's been real positive for us," Banjo said. "When you have a guy who has as much wisdom as he's had in regards to everything he's seen, there's probably not much that he hasn't seen. I think he's really good for the team, he's really good for the group of specialists. When you talk about some of the young guys we also have here as well, them being able to lean in on him a little bit and just kind of talk about his experiences."

In the preseason, Folk was 3-of-3 on field-goal attempts and was successful on both of his PAT tries. For one of the youngest coordinators in the league, the oldest player on the Jets' roster is still going strong.

"What I do know is that he's been putting his best foot forward since he's been here, he's been really, really efficient in regards to ... honestly, it's been a small sample size, but he's been real efficient with everything that we've asked him to do," Banjo said.