ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Aaron Glenn grew up in Bordersville, a 6-square-mile community just on the outskirts of Houston. It was built in the 1920s as a settlement of wooden cabins so that African Americans could work at a sawmill in nearby Humble.
The mill eventually closed. Houston Intercontinental Airport was built next door, cutting off the neighborhood from modern buildings. People still stayed in those old rickety houses, living in poverty on dirt roads and without even basic amenities. The area did not have dedicated water pipes until 1981, the year Glenn turned nine.
“It’s not the best area to grow up in,” Glenn said. “But it was a great area for me because I learned a lot of lessons about how to operate, how to react and how to protect myself. I have a lot of love for the place where I grew up. That’s me.”
Football brought Glenn out of Bordersville, first as an All-American at Texas A&M, then 15 seasons as a Pro Bowl lockdown corner in the NFL. It brings him back home on Sunday as the defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, who will take on the Houston Texans on Sunday evening.
The Lions (7-1) are arguably the best team in the league, in part because Glenn’s defense, despite a slew of injuries, is starting to match the team’s high-powered offense.
“A tough, physical, violent operation that likes to report on the man,” Glenn said of his defense. “That’s who we are. That is our identity.”
Glenn said this while sitting in a conference room here at team headquarters, a brief respite from the endless hours of grind he has become famous for here.
“Nobody works harder or longer than him,” head coach Dan Campbell said.
Part of that is Bordersville, Glenn says. Some of that is just him.
Nothing was ever given, so he’s lived his life the way he designs his defense: aggressive and resilient. He remained active as a player for a decade and a half before becoming a businessman and operating eight restaurants in Houston. He sold that to get into NFL scouting and coaching, slowly rising through the ranks.
Now, at age 52, the league is starting to take notice. The Lions’ defense ranks second in interceptions, third in takeaways and QB pressures, fourth in red zone stops and fifth in points allowed per game.
What was once a team that relied heavily on its offense — to the point that it affected Campbell’s famous fourth-down attempts — is now balanced. The Lions invested in their defense and thrived despite losing three pass rushers to injuries, including star Aidan Hutchinson in a blowout win over Dallas last month.
“The moment it happened, I knew it was a huge blow,” Glenn said of Hutchinson’s broken leg.
He remained confident. This was not a setback, he told the team. It was an opportunity.
“Coach Glenn kept his composure and brought everyone together,” safety Brian Branch said. “The opportunity presents itself. You have to seize your chance.”
“It just means someone else has to step up,” added cornerback Terrion Arnold.
Detroit gave up just three points to Dallas after Hutchinson went down. Since then, the Lions have allowed just 19.0 per game in three wins.
“We have some guys on this defense, they’re not big names, but they don’t really care [expletive]said Glenn. “I’m not saying we don’t care about Aidan, just ‘the next guy.’ And that’s a cliché, but we really live by that.
“We don’t have a first and second team,” he continued. “I don’t call them that. We have players. So if one player comes in, I expect you to play like a starter. It’s one thing to learn schematics. It’s another thing to have an identity. This is how we’re going to play. If you can’t handle that, you won’t end up in this field.
“You can never replace Aidan, but what you can do is play your shit and play with the mentality and our identity won’t change at all.”
Glenn seems to thrive amid the chaos. Against Green Bay, Branch was ejected for targeting and the Lions allowed just 11 points after that while converting a pick 6 the other way. This week, the team added veteran Za’Darius Smith, whom they acquired in a trade from Cleveland, to help fill the loss of Hutchinson.
Glenn said Smith will be great because his values align with the defense.
“We have a real identity on this football team,” Glenn said. “And that doesn’t apply to everyone. Not everyone fits what we do, because not everyone can handle it. It’s for the tough people, it’s for the grinders, it’s for the tough people, it’s for the guys who want to improve every day. And you are never satisfied.”
One of the questions surrounding Detroit this season is how long Campbell can keep his two coordinators – Glenn and OC Ben Johnson – both of whom should be coveted head coaching candidates and who both credit each other with making them better.
“He keeps me on my toes,” Johnson said. ‘It is always that iron sharpens iron. He really challenged me to stay ahead and attack. We went back and forth during training camp and in the spring. We’ll make some adjustments and he’ll make some adjustments. It’s just a constant competition between the two of us.”
Despite all of Glenn’s obvious charisma and leadership qualities, it is the plans within the building that stand out.
“First of all, he’s the salt of the earth,” Campbell said. “He is an incredible human being. He is a man of high character. … The things we go into a game with to attack opponents I think are some of the best in the league. And if you start losing some pieces here or there and you’re still trying to attack them, you have to use what you have on the roster.
All of this has prepared Glenn for what’s to come: a playoff push, a possible Super Bowl run and perhaps his own chances afterward.
“I’m ready to sit in that seat and take on any challenge that comes my way,” Glenn said. “I’ve always wanted to be the best I can be, whether I was a player or a coach. And I think that will serve me well as a head coach, because I don’t want to just be average.”
Average doesn’t get you from the rushing waters of Bordersville to the NFL. Now he comes home with a defense to show off, in prime-time nationally and up close locally, where friends and family will watch from the stands.
“It’s just a different feeling,” Glenn said, “especially with this team we have now. We have a chance for my family to see what we’ve built since I came here.
“Now you get the chance to see it live.”
