'Nick was with us': Mangold speech inspires Jets

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- On Saturday night, New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn delivered an emotional address to his team. He talked about the late Nick Mangold and his Jets legacy, one former Jets star exalting the memory of another. Players said they were moved by Glenn's words and message.

Mangold, only 41 when he died Oct. 25 due to complications from kidney disease, was feted Sunday by the Jets at MetLife Stadium. His widow, Jennifer, and their four young children (all in white No. 74 jerseys) were honorary captains, setting an emotional tone on a day that ended with the Jets' second straight victory -- a grimy 27-20 decision over the Cleveland Browns.

The kind of game the former center would've loved.

"Yeah, man, it meant a lot," safety Tony Adams said of Glenn's speech. "Nick and AG are part of this fraternity [of] being a Jet. They came here and they brought wins. They were great players here and Nick was with us today. We had a kick return and a punt return [for touchdowns]. Kind of crazy. That's nobody but God and the man himself, Nick himself."

For the first time in 66 years, the Jets produced touchdowns on kickoff and punt returns in the same game -- Kene Nwangwu 99 yards on a kickoff, Isaiah Williams 74 yards on a punt.

How fitting.

The No. 74 was everywhere in the stadium to honor a player who wore it with distinction from 2006 to 2016. There was a giant 74 flag on the field during the national anthem and a 74 banner outside one of the tunnels in each end zone, along with a photo of Mangold as a player. A massive banner, showing his likeness, was unfurled in the end-zone seats before kickoff. Players and staff wore Mangold T-shirts during the pregame warmups.

The most compelling scene, though, was Mangold's family at midfield for the coin toss. They held each other tightly, somehow managing to stay composed. Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, a team captain, walked over to Mangold's widow and shook her hand.

"It broke my heart, seeing his family on the sideline," said quarterback Justin Fields, who, like Mangold, played at Ohio State.

Another Buckeyes alum, tight end Jeremy Ruckert, wore Mangold's old college jersey to the game (No. 55). Ruckert has a picture on his phone of his dad, a rabid Jets fan, wearing a Mangold Jets jersey.

Glenn, who played for the Jets from 1994 to 2001, said the entire day was "emotional, very emotional." So was the entire week. On Tuesday, Mangold's funeral took place only two miles from the Jets' facility.

"You get a chance to see his wife and his kids out there, and I'll be honest with you," Glenn said. "To see how strong that she was handling it, to see how strong his kids were handling it, that in itself just tells you about who he was and how he was the leader of his family and how much of a rock his wife was to be around his kids and the way they've raised their children."

Before the game, former tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson -- like Mangold, a member of the Jets' Ring of Honor -- gave a short speech to the crowd, remembering his former teammate. The Jets distributed white T-shirts with a drawing of Mangold's face -- hat backward and wearing sunglasses -- to fans. It was a like a giant, goodbye hug to one of the most beloved players in franchise history, a modern-era semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Afterward, running back Breece Hall, one of the stars of the game, wore a backward Mangold hat as he spoke to reporters.

It was an emotional week for the Jets (2-7), who, on the same day as the funeral, traded cornerstone defensive players Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. Playing many inexperienced players, the defense responded with six sacks, including four by Will McDonald IV to tie a team record shared by Mark Gastineau and John Abraham.

Hall, himself the subject of intense trade speculation, rushed for 83 yards and scored on a 42-yard screen pass -- the only bright spots for an offense that slogged its way through a tough day.

The Jets finished with 42 net passing yards, the fewest by any team in a win since Week 18 of the 2022 season (Carolina Panthers). Fields (6-for-11, 54 yards) completed only two passes beyond the line of scrimmage. Star receiver Garrett Wilson, who had no catches for the first time in his career, reinjured his right knee late in the game. The team provided no update on his status.

Glenn praised his team for its mental toughness, how it handled the "negativity" from the media. Seven losses and two blockbuster trades might have contributed to that. The high-profile departures rocked the locker room, with multiple players saying they hated the moves.

"They just block all that crap out," Glenn said. "They just go and they play football."