Aaron Rodgers acquired two standing ovations from Jets staff on Wednesday:
Once when he stepped onstage as a soundtracked video montage welcomed the longtime Packers nice to Florham Park. A second time when Jets proprietor Woody Johnson stated he was “delighted” to have the “future Hall of Famer,” then requested for a second one.
“I’d just like to have a round of applause right there,” Johnson stated.
The crimson carpet was rolled out. Rodgers acquired his flowers. Wednesday felt huge, and that’s as a result of it was.
“When he walks in the building,” offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett stated of Rodgers, “everything changes.”
Head coach Robert Saleh stated seeing the four-time MVP maintain up his No. 8 Jets jersey was totally different.
“If you would have told me two years ago Aaron Rodgers would be your quarterback, I would have laughed in your face,” Saleh stated. “We’re relevant in the NFL now, but what we do with that is on us.”
The “first day of school feeling” that Rodgers described whereas sporting a brand new brief haircut and a refreshed smile was very actual. It made it really feel even larger that Rodgers, 39, was absolutely embracing the rapid expectations of him along with his new crew.
“I’m an old guy, so I want to be a part of a team that can win it all,” he stated. “And I believe this is a place where we can get that done … I noticed walking in this morning that [the] Super Bowl III trophy is looking a little lonely. So…”
“Every year there’s a handful of teams who can win it and we know it,” Rodgers added later. “Most people don’t say that out loud. They say in training camps the goal is the same for all 32 teams, but in actuality there’s anywhere from 8 to 12 teams who could actually do it. And I believe we’re one of those teams.”
Rodgers isn’t fallacious. The Jets appear to have the sort of roster that may win the AFC East and go on a deep playoff run, if not problem for and win the Super Bowl.
The query isn’t actually whether or not Rodgers will assist the Jets win extra video games this season, although. It’s how he’ll react underneath the New York and nationwide microscope when adversity hits, when persons are selecting whether or not to clap for him or boo him somewhat than being informed which.
Tom Brady received a Super Bowl in Tampa after leaving the Patriots, and Matthew Stafford received a championship with the Rams after departing Detroit. But each veteran quarterbacks escaped out of the highlight of harsher markets to much less scrutinized franchises to launch these title runs.
Rodgers, conversely, has left the small city behind for the massive metropolis.
A sliver of Rodgers’ Green Bay drama snuck into Wednesday’s press convention when he was requested to clarify the discrepancy between his and Packers GM Brian Gutekunst’s tales about the way it ended, too: Rodgers has stated he would have preferred extra direct communication, whereas Gutekunst has stated he tried to succeed in Rodgers “many times” however by no means acquired a response.
“People that know me, I’m fortunate to live in a beautiful house,” Rodgers stated. “The only downside is I have very limited cell service. So if you want to get ahold of me, I have to see your face, you got to FaceTime me. So the only response to the communication thing is there’s records in your phone about who called you, when, FaceTime, and there wasn’t any specific FaceTimes from any of those numbers that I was looking at. That’s neither here nor there, because now we’re at this position.”
Unusual, proper?
Not an enormous deal right here in New York as a result of it’s simply tying a bow on the tip of his time with the Packers. But a reminder of the murky, complicated, winding highway a few of Rodgers’ current conflicts have gone down as he arrives at a Jets franchise that doesn’t have a repute for stability.
Rodgers’ discourse additionally is very politicized. He has proven a repeated need to be outspoken on his anti-vaccination stance, one thing he initially lied about whereas with the Packers.
He not too long ago appeared to endorse fellow anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Democratic presidential bid, liking a Kennedy tweet that stated FOX had fired host Tucker Carlson after “acknowledging that the TV networks pushed a deadly and ineffective vaccine to please their Pharma advertisers,” which “demonstrated the terrifying power of Big Pharma.”
On a much less severe be aware, Rodgers can also be so well-known that even the smallest factor can create a stir.
When Saleh revealed Wednesday that Rodgers was “walking around barefoot” in a gathering — “he’s awesome,” the coach added with a smile — the nugget caught hearth on social media as a result of it’s Rodgers.
He’s the man who did the “darkness retreat” to determine what to do that season, who has brazenly experimented in recent times with the ayahuasca psychedelic, who generally followers the flames of his doubters throughout common appearances on “The Pat McAfee Show,” who challenges nationwide NFL media members by identify when he feels it’s warranted.
Everyone likes a great persona, together with in New York. The Jets introduced Rodgers right here to be himself, and he stated all the proper issues Wednesday.
He intends to “mentor” younger backup Zach Wilson, for instance, along with taking part in profitable soccer.
“He’s gonna make my life hell in practice,” Rodgers stated with a smirk, alluding to a social media meme of one among Wilson’s earlier interviews, “and I’m gonna make his life heaven off the field. Part of my goal here is to help him get his confidence back.”
New York just isn’t the massive, dangerous media promote it’s at all times made out to be, both. It’s extra about how the person feels or perceives the stress. Rodgers has had rabbit ears prior to now, and that’s a harmful high quality to have right here.
But for now, the slate is clear. And Rodgers is embracing his new stage. He clearly understands will probably be totally different. He warmly stated that he’s “heard a lot about the New York media” and “he’s looking forward to meeting you all and starting a relationship.”
“I’ve been in Green Bay for 18 years,” he stated. “That’s a long time in a small town, and it’s been great. I grew up in a small town. When you grow up in a tiny little town in Northern California, you dream about … living in a big city and having places to go eat and interesting things to do.”
He concurrently recognized that profitable for the proud and starved Jets fan base might be “similar” to profitable “in a city like Green Bay” as a result of “you go down in history, and there’s something special about adding that to your legacy.”
Maybe they’re related when the crew is profitable. Adversity and controversy and even Rodgers’ reactions to these challenges received’t play the identical right here as they do in Small Town USA, although.
Still, who can say this honeymoon section received’t mix proper right into a Super Bowl run?
Rodgers was a Jet on Wednesday. Rodgers was speaking about championships.
Maybe, as Hackett stated, every thing has modified.
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com