Antwan Staley: Lions loss to the Commanders shouldn’t hurt Aaron Glenn’s chances to land coaching gig

Whether it’s the Jets oregon different franchise, Aaron Glenn volition beryllium coaching his ain squad successful 2025.

But if Saturday’s crippled was his last 1 arsenic Lions antiaircraft coordinator, Glenn’s portion didn’t show their champion connected film.

The Commanders shocked the Lions 45-31 successful the NFC Divisional Round. Now opening on Monday, Glenn tin present behaviour in-person coaching interviews with teams funny successful gathering him successful person.

“Aaron Glenn is — he’s arsenic bully a manager arsenic you’re going to find, he’s an adjacent amended quality being,” Lions manager Dan Campbell said astir Glenn earlier this month. “Look, if cipher wants him, I’ll instrumentality him again. I tin archer you that close now.”

Just 2 plays into the crippled against the Commanders, cornerback Amik Robertson broke his limb and was mislaid for the remainder of the game. That allowed Commanders backmost Jayden Daniels to carve up a Lions defence to the tune of 299 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. Washington besides rushed for 182 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Despite the disappointing loss, Glenn should inactive beryllium a apical coaching candidate. After interviewing with the Jets connected Jan. 9, Glenn is 1 of the favorites to onshore the role. However, galore Jets fans person been vocal astir not wanting proprietor Woody Johnson to prosecute Glenn aft Saturday’s loss.

One lousy show shouldn’t deter Johnson from hiring Glenn. He checks a batch of the boxes the Jets are looking for arsenic a coach.

Glenn is simply a civilization builder who, on with Campbell, has turned astir a Lions enactment that antecedently struggled, overmuch similar the Jets person the past 14 seasons they’ve missed the playoffs.

Just entering the game, the Lions had 16 players connected injured reserve, with 12 connected the antiaircraft end. Detroit has mislaid cardinal players specified arsenic walk rusher Aidan Hutchinson (broken leg) and antiaircraft tackle Alim McNeill (knee, torn ACL) each retired owed to injury. Also, cornerback Carlton Davis (fractured jaw) and linebacker Derrick Barnes (knee, torn PCL and MCL) besides suffered season-ending injuries.

Glenn, 52, did good arsenic a antiaircraft coordinator contempt having a portion decimated by injuries. Despite each their injuries, the Lions finished the play 20th successful full yards (342.4) and seventh successful points allowed (20.1). That improved from the 2023 play erstwhile Detroit allowed 23.2 points per game.

Detroit held 11 teams to 20 points oregon less this season, including playoff teams the Rams, Buccaneers, Packers, and the Vikings. The Lions besides forced 24 turnovers, and their 16 interceptions were the 5th astir successful the NFL.

Not to mention, determination are ever 3 phases of football. Lions backmost Jared Goff threw 3 interceptions and mislaid a fumble against the Commanders. He finished 23-of-40 passing for 313 yards and a touchdown, but it was his 4th crippled this play with aggregate interceptions.

“We conscionable didn’t play great, and I mentioned we didn’t complement each different and that’s the aforesaid thing. At the extremity of the day, I didn’t person them ready,” Campbell said aft losing to the Commanders. “It’s hard to look astatine it.”

Those who privation to disregard Glenn’s enactment gathering the Lions’ defence due to the fact that of 1 crippled should see what Dan Quinn has done successful his archetypal play with the Commanders.

Quinn, the Cowboys’ antiaircraft coordinator past year, was successful a akin concern arsenic Glenn. In the wild-card circular successful 2023, Green Bay destroyed Quinn’s defence 48-32 aft allowing 415 full yards. Dallas was the NFC’s No. 2 effect and was bounced by the seventh-seeded Packers.

Despite that, the Commanders inactive hired Quinn to assistance crook astir a franchise that hadn’t won a playoff crippled since 2005, and helium did precisely that. Much similar Glenn, Quinn is labeled a civilization builder. Now, aft a 12-5 grounds and 2 playoff wins, Washington is 1 triumph distant from its archetypal Super Bowl since 1991.

“I deliberation you larn a fig of things from each twelvemonth that you spell done them, and you effort to amended connected those each year,” Glenn said. “But the 1 happening that I get retired of each these interviews is, ‘Man, I’m gonna beryllium myself, and either you similar it oregon you don’t.’

“If you don’t, each good. I support telling you that I person a large occupation here. If you similar it, and it’s an accidental that I deliberation is champion for maine and my family, past I’ll instrumentality a look astatine it.

Yes, Glenn has respective questions to address, particularly since helium has nary erstwhile caput coaching experience. Among those are, what would his coaching unit look like? Who would beryllium Glenn’s violative coordinator?

But those concerns would person been contiguous whether Glenn’s Lions had defeated the Commanders oregon not. Fans are often emotional, and we unrecorded successful a “what person you done for maine lately” world. But 1 atrocious crippled shouldn’t descend Glenn’s chances of becoming a coach.

The Jets, Saints, Bears, Raiders, and Cowboys are each looking for caller coaches this offseason. They could bash overmuch worse than Glenn, who, on with Campbell, has helped crook astir a Lions franchise that hadn’t won a playoff crippled earlier 2023 since 1991, erstwhile George H. W. Bush was President of the United States.