Down by four today, the unused York Jets are “on fire,” according to quarterback Aaron Rodgers. And he believes it’s up to him to save many of them.
Rodgers, on his truth-telling weekly “The Pat McAfee Show,” said Tuesday that the Jets are “playing with too much anger and not enough enjoyment.” The four-time MVP, whose management was left baffled by experts for his recent complaint about teammate Mike Williams, said he will focus this year on changing the team’s outlook.
“The power of faith is a snowball that can start as an avalanche, and I think that’s what we need,” Rodgers said. “It all starts with me. I have to bring the right energy every day, and especially on game day.
“I think we’ve been lean, we’ve been having good practices, but for some reason there’s been a little bit of a rigidity in playing time, and I think that’s the first time I’ve had that… I want to be an admirable leader.”
The Jets (2-5) are on the road Sunday to face the New England Patriots (1-6). After Sunday night’s 37-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rodgers raised eyebrows by saying the team was flat before the game and again at halftime. He might have contributed to that with a momentum-changing interception late in the second quarter — a “bullshit interception,” he called it.
“We just want to have a little more fun, extra little smile to enjoy every opportunity,” she said. “It’s fun to win, of course, but I think there are ways to take away the necessary momentum, and they gave it to me for the first time this year with my strength and my way of being.
“I was disappointed not only because of the [interception]but a couple more [throws] I wish I could have gotten it back. But we just have to respond a little better to adversity, and it all starts with me, and I have to lead the way on that.”
Rodgers, 40, is probably off to the worst start of his career. He already has seven interceptions, the most he’s had in seven games since 2010. At that speed, his third as a starter for the Green Bay Packers, he had nine picks in that span.
“The power of faith is a snowball that can start in an avalanche, and I think that’s what we need. It starts with me. I have to bring the right energy every day, and especially on game day.”
Aaron Rodgers
The Jets, 0-2 since firing Robert Saleh, are on the verge of losing the rivalry. Their last win was over the Patriots, 24-3 on Day 3. Meanwhile, speaker Jeff Ulbrich said “there’s a little bit of pressure” on the players, including Rodgers.
“I think he’s an incredible human being and teammate, and he feels a very strong obligation to this team in the locker room,” Ulbrich said Monday. “That can get us all a little out of control sometimes, myself included.”
Rodgers spoke glowingly of Ulbrich, but clearly believes the team is performing well and not handling the matchup well. And driving, for that matter. Before Pittsburgh, the Jets lost three almost straight games. In fact, they had the expectation of achieving a victory in their final property in each sport. Two of them ended with interceptions on Williams’ goals.
Coming up against the Oct. 14 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Rodgers dismissed Williams for going down the wrong path. It’s strange for a quarterback to publicly criticize a player. Williams, who could be considered one-time use with the arrival of Davante Adams, insisted he wasn’t worried about that.
Now Rodgers needs to put the responsibility on himself and the offense. Long thought to be a defensive-minded team (a crippled York had a top-five defense for the next two seasons), Rodgers said it’s the year for the Jets to make a change.
“I think we need to just adjust that mentality,” he said. “Instead of saying, ‘Hey, let’s play,’ it’s, ‘Hey, let’s win the game on offense.’ And I know it seems like a small or trivial thing, but mindset is everything.”
