New Jets coach Aaron Glenn begins laying team foundation

Aaron Glenn’s culture-building class begins this week.

The Jets will kick off Phase 1 of their offseason training program on Monday. Teams with first-year NFL head coaches are permitted to begin camp two weeks before those with a returning coach.

Phase 1 consists of strength and conditioning and rehab as well as meetings and classroom instruction with coaches. It will be Glenn’s first opportunity to talk to his team as a whole and start laying a foundation for creating the culture that he wants.

“I’m not here to talk about Super Bowl, I’m not here to talk about playoffs or any of that when the players first get in,” Glenn said.

“To me, it’s the process of actually making it to that point. Two things I want to make sure that we do, first and foremost, is establish a culture and try to create and build an environment and understand what Phase 1 is really about.

“We’re trying to get bigger, faster, stronger and more explosive. And that’s the only thing I want the players worrying about at that point. We have a lot of time for scheme. We have a lot of time to talk about Super Bowl and playoffs, but right now, building my culture and building our environment in that building is the most important thing right now to me.”

Woody Johnson hired Glenn — who spent eight seasons playing for the Jets — to change the culture and turn around a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in 14 years and hasn’t had a winning record in the past nine. The Jets went 5-12 last year, falling far short of expectations that were placed upon them.

Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey, both in their respective positions for the first time, have been “moving in silence” this offseason, according to Glenn.

The biggest headline the Jets made was when they released quarterback Aaron Rodgers. There haven’t been any major signings or moves that created any buzz or hoopla, which Glenn said is by design.

“We just want to go out about business and coach these players and try to create an atmosphere for the players that’s totally different than probably what they’re used to,” Glenn said. “Let’s just go about our business to go win some games, because you don’t win in the offseason anyway, man.”

Although Glenn is a defensive coach, he said his “fingerprints will be on every part of this team — what I want to do offensively, what I want to do defensively and special teams.”

The Jets have signed 14 free agents to this point. Their two biggest moves were signing quarterback Justin Fields and bringing back linebacker Jamien Sherwood.

Johnson is confident that Glenn and his coaches will get the most out of Fields, who is on his third team in three years.

“I think Justin Fields is going to be a total winner for us,” the owner said. “I’ve been impressed with him since his college days. It was he or Trevor Lawrence. I think he’s going to be really good.

“He’s going to be put in the right situation, and with Aaron, I think you’re going to see. They talk, I think, every day. So I think it’s going be very interesting to see how Justin progresses. He’s going to make a giant leap.”

The Jets could have drafted Fields in 2021 when Lawrence was taken first overall. They selected Zach Wilson second overall, which was a wasted pick.

Glenn doesn’t care what happened before he arrived. His focus is on making sure he and his coaching staff teach and develop the players and begin to build something sustainable.

“Who we are as coaches is to develop,” Glenn said. “Number one is being able to teach and the second is to be able to develop.

“I talk to our staff about ‘I want the free agents to play like draft picks. I want our third-round picks to play like first-round picks. I want our first-round picks to wear a gold jacket at some point.’ That’s the job of coaches. I hold that to a very high standard in every coach that I have.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.