Steve Wilks has been around the NFL for a very long time. As the new defensive coordinator for the New York Jets, he has seen what it takes to win at a high level, and how to lose at a high level, too.
As it relates to his current stop, Wilks has plenty to work with. New York has All-Pros at every level of their defense, and Pro Bowl-potential guys dotting the roster along the way.
As he prepares for his first season as a key assistant under new head coach Aaron Glenn, though, there's one clear takeaway from the start of practices for New York. The players are buying in to what they are being taught.
And Wilks couldn't be happier.
"The players are really buying in and the level of commitment and consistency we want is there," Wilks said.
Part of the reason why New York has seen such impressive commitment from their roster is because the style of play Glenn and Wilks want to run matches the intensity needed to end the organization's playoff drought.
And Wilks explained exactly that before practice on Thursday.
"The physicality, the effort, the demand, being smart, not beating ourselves, understanding situational football, and we're going to make sure that we cater to our players," Wilks explained. "I think that's the great thing as a coach, who do you have, what can they do, put them in the best situation to be successful."
No one really knows if the Jets will be successful under Glenn and Wilks. At the very least, the team has bought in to their tutelage in the hopes of finally building a winner in New York.