The arrival of Aaron Rodgers was expected to end the New York Jets’ Super Bowl drought, much like how Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Lombardi trophy in his first season with them. However, the Jets have also faced quarterback issues in recent years, similar to Rodgers’ situation with the Green Bay Packers.
Rodgers is currently sidelined with a torn ACL, but he has been offering valuable insights to the Jets following their recent loss against the New England Patriots. The team’s head coach, Robert Saleh, believes that Rodgers’ input is indeed valuable.
Saleh stands behind Aaron Rodgers’ call
During the Jets’ 15-10 loss to the New England Patriots, there were some heated altercations between players and coaches. Michael Carter got involved in a brawl with running backs coach Taylor Embree, and Garrett Wilson had an animated conversation with Zach Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett, during which he pointed to a video.
Rodgers called out his fellow teammates to avoid blame games and focus solely on performance during his latest appearance on “Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday. Saleh knows the 39-year-old vet has been a mentor of this young squad after landing in the Big Apple, and said his words were thoroughly timable.
“I’ve said it with Aaron, he’s as much of a coach as he is a player and he’s been around youth and he’s been around adversity and he’s seen it all. And so for him to recognize that and talk through it, I think he’s not wrong.”
Robert Saleh on Aaron Rodgers saying Jets need to grow up: "He's not wrong." https://t.co/LQ5PcPwKO6
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 27, 2023
However, the head coach also noted that the players involved in the incidents are still young and said they will be able to handle these situations more maturely in the future.
“When you have frustration, it’s easy to kind of look for answers when sometimes the most important answer is inward. That’s the only way you can defeat adversity is to look inward and find ways to be your personal best. As it pertains to what he said, he’s not wrong, but at the same time it’s just a bunch of young guys showing a little bit of frustration, so they’ll be all right.”
The Jets’ offense did very poorly in their last two matches, and A-Rod also pointed out the team’s offensive struggles while urging them to find more chances to score points. Wilson has miserably failed to prove his dominance on offense, albeit Saleh backed up the young QB by saying he was not the only one to blame for their recent struggle.
Rodgers’ digital presence enhances Jets’ QB development
Rodgers is now taking his time in Malibu, California, to recover from Achilles surgery on his left foot. However, the distance doesn’t have any impact on his leadership within the Jets squad, as the four-time MVP ensures to fulfill his duties by conducting meetings via FaceTime.
Todd Downing, Gang Green’s passing-game coordinator of the QB room, said that A-Rod is second to none on the roster, heaping praise on his unique leadership skills.
“Aaron’s his own unique person, but what’s been really neat is that it’s a brotherhood and we wouldn’t have it any other way than to FaceTime Aaron in there and to make sure that everybody’s involved.”
Downing said that conversations with the signal-caller are more focused on friendly banter than the team’s game strategy. Several New York players said the vet reached out to them with a text or Facetime to check on them. Even the team’s safeties coach Marquand Manuel said he doesn’t feel the QB’s absence as he always manages to reduce the communication gap, despite living quite far away from them.
What’s your take on Rodgers’ unwavering commitment to his new team? Tell us in the comments.
