Podcast Summary: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg - "Jets Coaching Search Expands"

Date: January 27, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg (absent, traveling)
Featured Contributors: Anthony Pusick, Listeners Subi & Eric
Episode Theme: The state of the New York Jets’ coaching search, organizational dysfunction, fan frustration, and reflections on media & sports history.

Overview of Main Theme

This hour focuses on the expanding chaos within the New York Jets' coaching staff, the ramifications of widespread firings, the challenges of attracting top coordinators, and the deeper existential frustration of being a Jets fan. The hosts also branch into broader topics like the decline of traditional journalism and a nostalgic look at Super Bowl history, highlighting the intersection of sports, media, and fan emotion in New York.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jets Coaching Carousel: Mass Firings and Uncertainty

• The Jets have widespread coaching vacancies: offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, position coaches, and several assistants ([01:05]).
• Aaron Glenn, the Jets’ head coach, remains despite the purge, solely because of his contract’s remaining four years and full guarantees, not performance ([01:19], [05:19]):
  • "You're telling me everyone's at fault but him? Or is it everybody else is expendable because they're not, you know, guaranteed money and have long years left on their contract?" — Alan Hahn ([01:41])

2. Staffing Woes and Candidate Reluctance

• Frank Reich rumored for offensive coordinator; Wink Martindale floated for DC, but top candidates express hesitation due to Glenn’s shaky status ([04:49], [05:19]):
  • "If I'm Jim Leonard, I'm like, I don't want to go to the jets, and this guy gets fired and I'm out the door with him." — Alan Hahn ([05:19])
  • "Frank Reich probably is attracted to it because of the unstable ground that Glenn's on, and all the other candidates maybe don't want it for that reason." — Alan Hahn ([05:37])
• Public acknowledgment of hiring failures is seen as both admirable and worrisome—a sign of humility, but also of concerning misjudgment ([09:06]).

3. Philosophy: Delegation vs. Micromanagement

• Debate about whether Glenn should delegate playcalling (like John Harbaugh) or stubbornly maintain control ([06:53]):
  • "I didn't like a report... Glens wants to be involved in playcalling on defense, there's your first mistake." — Anthony Pusick ([06:53])
  • "What we learned from Glenn this season is he was overwhelmed... There was too much happening for Glenn as a head coach to worry about everything else." — Anthony Pusick ([07:23])

4. Existential Jets Fan Pain: “Hate-Watching” and Futility

• Callers (Subi, Eric) express deep-seated pain, considering “hate-watching” and even rooting for the team to lose to force a regime change ([10:52]–[13:19]).
  • "Why can't we hope that Aaron Glenn chooses to be on Hard Knocks and we should see a comedy show every week filming him..." — Subi ([11:06])
  • "It's almost like you're a madman now and you're in the straitjacket in the padded room and you're just chuckling and giggling..." — Anthony Pusick ([14:54])
• Hosts challenge the logic of rooting for tanking, noting that losing has not fixed anything for the Jets ([14:21]):
  • "Owen-17 does not fix ignorance... Your team is dumb. It's functional dumb. So Owen-17 is not gonna matter." — Alan Hahn ([16:08])

5. Ownership as the Root Issue

• Woody Johnson’s leadership is depicted as fundamentally flawed, undermining any reset or draft strategy ([18:52]):
  • "Woody Johnson is a good person... But the football acumen's not there, and it's not working." — Alan Hahn ([20:19])

6. Fan Trauma and Generational Suffering

• Decades-long pain is discussed; the sense that "Jets pain" is unique and epic in the New York sports landscape ([22:19]-[23:17]):
  • "Jet fans suffering. Not Met fans, not Islander fans, not Knick fans. They've all suffered in their own way... This is epic." — Alan Hahn ([23:19])

7. Journalism’s Decline and Distrust of Media

• Anthony and Alan lament the gutting of traditional newspapers—the Washington Post not sending reporters to the Olympics is a symbol of broader media decay ([24:58], [26:03]):
  • "It concerns me a lot that a newspaper like the Washington Post feels like it is really starting to circle the drain..." — Anthony Pusick ([27:58])
• The move from thorough investigative journalism to polarized and shallow online content is mourned by both hosts and listeners ([45:58]):
  • "It's not reality. It's what they want you to see... Journalism has just died." — Eric, listener ([44:26])

8. Nostalgic Look: Super Bowl 25 (Giants vs. Bills)

• 35th anniversary of “wide right” discussed, reframing the narrative around Scott Norwood’s infamous miss ([29:35]):
  • "How in God's name can the K gun offense with that much time only get a 47 yard field goal attempt?" — Alan Hahn ([31:00])
  • "If you want a goat, it's the Bills offense and Jim Kelly the K gun..." — Alan Hahn ([30:12])
• The hosts recall family memories, the true meaning of “signature plays,” and how the culture of blame often misses the true story ([34:31], [43:38]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 01:19 | Alan Hahn | "You're telling me everyone's at fault but him? Or is it everybody else is expendable because they're not, you know, guaranteed money and have long years left on their contract?" | | 05:19 | Alan Hahn | "If I'm Jim Leonard, I'm like, I don't want to go to the jets, and this guy gets fired and I'm out the door with him." | | 06:53 | Anthony Pusick | "I didn't like a report that I saw over the weekend that said that Glenn wants to be involved in play calling on defense, there's your first mistake." | | 09:06 | Alan Hahn | "I do think there is a talent and a character enhancer, if you will, to someone that can admit they made a mistake..." | | 12:16 | Anthony Pusick | "If they have another debacle of a season, that the Mannings would have any interest in sending the next Manning into the league to play for this franchise? There's zero percent chance of that happening. Zero."| | 14:54 | Anthony Pusick | "It's almost like you're a madman now and you're in the straight jacket in the padded room and you're just chuckling and giggling because it just keeps getting worse and worse." | | 16:08 | Alan Hahn | "Owen-17 does not fix ignorance. I don't know what may be air. I don't care. ... Your team is dumb. It's functional dumb. So Owen-17 is not gonna matter." | | 18:52 | Alan Hahn | "Woody Johnson, JetBlue." (re: ownership meddling and failed decisions) | | 20:19 | Alan Hahn | "Woody Johnson is a good person. He really is a good per. I like him. ... But the football acumen's not there, and it's not working. So hate, watch, lick, watch, eat, watch, feed, watch. Whatever you want to call it, don't watch. That's what I would suggest you do." | | 23:19 | Alan Hahn | "Jet fans suffering. ... This is epic. This is epic. And I feel bad. I honestly feel bad." | | 27:58 | Anthony Pusick | "It concerns me a lot that a newspaper like the Washington Post feels like it is really starting to circle the drain now with this latest thing. And I worry about it, I do..." | | 44:26 | Eric (listener) | "It's not reality. It's what they want you to see. And I feel bad. Alan, journalism has just died. It's just died." | | 31:00 | Alan Hahn | "How in God's name can the K gun offense with that much time only get a 47 yard field goal attempt?" |

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Jets Coaching Turmoil and Aaron Glenn's Status: [01:03]–[06:53]
• Coordinator Candidates, Hiring Dynamics: [04:49]–[06:53]
• Fan Therapy: “Hate-Watching” and Callers: [10:52]–[16:08]
• Ownership & Historical Dysfunction: [18:51]–[21:21]
• Don and Alan Discuss Journalism/Media Decline: [24:58]–[28:40], [44:26]–[47:08]
• Super Bowl 25 Anniversary—Re-examining “Wide Right”: [29:10]–[37:48], revisited [40:38]–[43:47]
• Listener Reflections on Print Media: [44:26]–[47:08]

Additional Highlights

• Alan and Anthony offer both empathy and tough love to Jets fans, recognizing generational trauma while also pushing back on fatalism.
• Deep nostalgia for the print news era and for Super Bowl moments—contrasted with present-day cynicism.
• Discussion about the grind and exhaustion of air travel for international sports coverage (light moment, [38:39])
• Minor Knicks and Devils scheduling update at the top ([00:14]), with Peter Rosenberg noted as absent—traveling to Saudi Arabia ([38:01]).

Tone & Style Observations

The show blends blunt honesty, gallows humor, and heartfelt nostalgia. The language is conversational, candid, commiserative—often self-deprecating and wry in characterizing the Jets and media woes. The dialogue is rich with metaphors and sports analogies (“vibrating football game,” “airing of grievances”), capturing both the pain and camaraderie of sports discussion in New York.

For the Listener Who Missed It:

• The Jets are in full-blown rebuild, not out of vision, but out of necessity and dysfunction.
• The head coach persists due to contract, not success, while the staff is gutted.
• Top coordinator candidates are wary—no one wants to be a temp for a doomed regime.
• Despair dominates Jets fandom. “Hate-watching” is recast as a symptom, not a solution.
• Ownership is the consistent root of the problem—regime changes and draft picks are not a cure-all.
• Alan and Anthony mourn the death of real journalism and the rise of polarizing, bite-sized media.
• The 35th anniversary of Giants' Super Bowl XXV is a springboard for discussion on the randomness of sports history, blame, and memory.