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ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Aaron Glenn grew up in the Bordersville neighborhood of Humble, Texas, just on the outskirts of Houston. It was built in the 1920s, a settlement of wooden shacks, created so African Americans could work at a nearby sawmill.
The mill eventually closed. Houston Intercontinental Airport was built next door, cordoning the neighborhood off from modern development. Still the people stayed in those old rickety houses, living in poverty on dirt roads and without even basic services. The area didn’t have dedicated waterlines until 1981, the year Glenn turned nine.
“It is not the best area to grow up in,” Glenn said. “But it was a great area for me because it taught me a lot of lessons on how to operate, how to react, how to protect myself. I have a lot of love for where I grew up at. That’s me.”
Football lifted 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. On Sunday it will bring him back home as defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, who will take on Houston Sunday night.
The Lions (7-1) are arguably the best team in the league, in part because Glenn’s defense, despite a slew of injuries, has begun to match the team’s high-powered offense.
“A tough, physical, violent operation that loves to play man coverage,” Glenn said of his defense. “That’s who we are. That’s 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’s become famous for around here.
“Nobody works harder or longer than he does,” head coach Dan Campbell said.
Some of that is Bordersville, Glenn says. Some of that is just him.
Nothing was ever given, so he’s lived his life like he designs his defense — aggressive and resilient. He lasted a decade and a half as a player, before becoming a businessman operating eight restaurants in Houston. He sold those to get into NFL scouting and…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/detroit-lions-secret-weapon-the-defensive-mind-of-aaron-glenn-223433188.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-11-07 22:34:33
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