When the New York Jets drafted cornerback Aaron Glenn in the first round of the 1994 NFL draft, they did so with visions of using him not only at cornerback, but as a kick and punt returner as he had averaged a whopping 19.9 yards per punt return with a pair of touchdowns in his final collegiate season.\u00a0 However, is time as a punt returner as a pro was short-lived.<\/p>\n
After flubbing a few punts early on in the preseason as a rookie, head coach Bill Parcells had seen enough.\u00a0 Glenn looked unsteady and was immediately removed.\u00a0 He didn’t return his first NFL punt until eight years later when he returned two of them.\u00a0 Two years later he would return four.\u00a0 That was it.\u00a0 His head coach saw up close that he wasn’t suited in a particular role and he didn’t hesitate to pull the plug.\u00a0 In the case of Todd Bowles, failure to perform, even as the result of an injury, is apparently not a reason to make a change.<\/p>\n
We saw it last year when an injured Brian Winters was a liability on offense for the majority of the season as he played through a torn abdominal muscle and lost his one-on-one battles week in and week out.\u00a0 Now, history is repeating itself with center Spencer Long who is not physically capable of snapping a football due to a dislocated finger.\u00a0 Even still, Todd Bowles and the Jets continue to demand he do just that, but Bowles seems to be the only person on the planet who thinks it’s a good idea.<\/p>\n
Be it a former player, reporter, analyst, play-by-play commentator, or even a dopey blogger, everyone watching the Jets embarrass themselves against the Dolphins last night was screaming for Long to be pulled well before Sam Darnold’s back-breaking interception that was returned for a touchdown after, you guessed it, a botched snap from Spencer Long.<\/p>\n