Aaron Glenn is going to be a blast in his first season as an NFL coach – not necessarily because his New York Jets are going to be good, but because he's going to be interesting.
Example:
We are two weeks from the start of the NFL regular season. So how does Glenn describe the stretch between now and the team's start of the regular-season on Sept. 7?
"Nut-cutting time."
Glenn, during his press conference on Tuesday, told reporters he plans to keep "stars" out of Friday's preseason-finale against the Eagles.
"Some stars won't play in this game," Glenn said. "I won't get into who or whatnot, but a good amount of stars won't play. It'll give us a chance to look at some of the young guys and give them playing time so we can evaluate them.
"Obviously, it's getting down to nut-cutting time as far as who's going to make the 53 [man roster]. Then who are the 69 we'll have in totality? So, it's important to go out there and watch these guys, see how they operate."
Yes, watching how guys operate during nut-cutting time is important.
(Admit it, you smiled.)
Look, we get it. Glenn means the Jets have reached a critical time in the preseason when important decisions need to be made. And, honestly, we've heard NFL coaches use this phrase hundreds of times over the years.
But not in a press conference. And certainly not in front of cameras that are recording.
Because it is obviously a little crude.
Ultimately, the phrase comes from livestock farming practices in which "nut-cutting" literally refers to castrating male animals such as calves or hogs to manage breeding.
Political writer William Safire is credited with coining the phrase in print, defining "nut‑cutting time" as akin to "political castration."
Ouch!
So you see that the Jets reaching "nut-cutting time" when they're about to cut men from their roster is, well, a painful process, probably.
Glenn is a dude. He's not messing around as the first-year head coach of a perennially poor team. So he's going to be a little gruff with reporters sometimes.
As he did a couple of weeks ago. You might say he got a little, um, testy.
And he also had a moment on Tuesday when he seemed to admonish reporters for their coverage of quarterback Justin Fields last week.
"I mean, you have so many people that want to talk about a small amount of plays that these guys get to go out there and play, and then everything is falling down because we throw six passes," Glenn complained.
"And then, I mean, he’s Johnny Unitas when he throws four passes. It bothers me, and I laugh at it quite a bit, but the thing is, I understand it because that’s the noise that happens on the outside that our guys can’t really listen to."
Dear coach: You turned the volume up on the noise when you made the point your offense was "sloppy" last week in joint practices and then the game against the crosstown New York Giants.
But no worries, the players probably have other things to think about.
Because it's nut-cutting time.
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