2024 Jets: Out of the Darkness - Take 2
- Thread starter MikeM
- Start date
Can’t claim that myself, but I think many of us hoped it would be a circus and that the Jets would still be… the Jets.
edit: apologies to @luckiestman and other actual Jets fans. If this post is misplaced / in poor taste I will delete.
Just to be clear, what I mean is that the minute I heard he was being traded to the Jets I was thinking that 1) There was a strong likelihood that he would struggle with the media and the very bright lights of being the quarterback of the city's football team, 2) His personality would prove toxic in the locker room, and 3) There was a strong chance that would negatively impact their play.
Now, to be fair, I've often had similar thoughts about players going to the Yankees who went on to play just fine. And in this case, I was actually mildly resigned to the fact that there was a good-to-very-good chance that the Jets would be good for the first time in a while.
But I just think we've seen time and time again how many athletes underestimate what it will be like when they go from the confines of a media market that feels fortunate just to be able to call an elite athlete celebrity theirs to a place like New York (or Boston). Rodgers is an almost special case because he's such a raging asshole obsessed with his own victimhood. Favre was almost the exact same way but 2008 was a very long time ago in terms of internet culture. It's probably not a surprise that both of these guys got theirs at almost the same time.
Also: has anyone here actually watched his Netflix show?
I never thought Rodgers would struggle with the media or that his personality (well known at that point) would affect the locker room. He has plenty of experience dealing with that, even if he is thin-skinned. People knew who he was. I thought it was a bad idea for the Jets because it seemed like a bad idea to grant a volatile, declining player a measure of organizational control in order to obtain him. It's one thing if LeBron James shadow GMs - he'll deliver a chip, even if you have to mortgage the future. It's another thing when Rodgers wants to play with his buddies and coaches, isn't good enough on his own any more to get that chip, then whines about everything because he isn't winning. The Jets were willing to take the chance based on some internal valuation that he *could* bring winning football to the Jets; that it has backfired as badly as it has was more than even I thought.
Yeah, the Green Bay years are going to make for an interesting retrospective. He started off with a lot of goodwill after dropping in the draft, being a backup for so long, and the apparent treatment by Favre. Then his play justified being admired.
But I think you could well be right about the local coverage not wanting to push boundaries with him or the franchise. Not sure how that would have played with the fanbase.
I picture Green Bay sports radio like the Dillon Texas sports radio from Friday Night Lights. If the QB is performing nothing else matters.
The NY media is petty nice to Rodgers (at least the beat, I don’t listen to Kay’s show and shit like that). It’s the national media that is all over him.
Media obviously continues to change rapidly too. Once upon a time, I knew he was a maniac shithead because, like, I heard stories that he’d get into rage fights with strangers playing volleyball on the beach. Now I can watch him online at any moment and not even to hear him talk about football but to find out he thinks I’m an asshole or something. That’s a very different thing that didn’t used to be a thing.
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LOLOLOL:
Johnson’s reference to Jeudy’s “Madden” rating was, to some in the Jets’ organization, a sign of Brick and Jack’s influence. Another example came when (EDIT FOR EMPHASIS): Johnson pushed back on signing free-agent guard John Simpson due to a lackluster “awareness” rating in Madden. The Jets signed Simpson anyway, and he has had a solid season: Pro Football Focus currently has him graded as the eighth-best guard in the NFL.
Johnson’s reference to Jeudy’s “Madden” rating was, to some in the Jets’ organization, a sign of Brick and Jack’s influence. Another example came when (EDIT FOR EMPHASIS): Johnson pushed back on signing free-agent guard John Simpson due to a lackluster “awareness” rating in Madden. The Jets signed Simpson anyway, and he has had a solid season: Pro Football Focus currently has him graded as the eighth-best guard in the NFL.
A bunch of stuff happened. Lost JFM and Huff and some other kind of JAG DTs that were much better than the DTs we tried to replace with. Reddick fiasco, Jermaine Johnson tearing Achilles, Carter (slot corner) up and down with back injury. Mosley/Fotu out most of year with injury, neither was great when playing but not awful.
This was retrospectively bad roster building and bad injury luck (they had been decently lucky with D injuries prior to this year).
I believe the phrase is, "depressingly familiar."
Applies to Sox MI and pitching as well...
I muscled through the first episode of the Rodgers Netflix show. It's mostly boring, but also unintentionally hilarious. There's a scene where he's just rambling off random numbers and math to a female friend who's caressing his swollen foot with disturbingly long and grotesque toes on a private jet with Dr. Neil Attrache listening on before he waxes poetically about playing Stratomatic as a kid. This is one of many bullet points put forth to bolster his "really smart" resume. All in all he comes off as a really dull football robot who was driven to be a QB by a desire to be the center of attention.
This is my favorite part:
"Ahead of the Jets-Giants preseason finale at MetLife Stadium in 2019, an administrative assistant popped into the team’s coaching offices to make an announcement to then-head coach Adam Gase and his staff. Woody Johnson, then serving as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom in the Trump administration, was temporarily returning from London. The assistant said everyone should refer to Johnson as “Mr. Ambassador.”"
"Ahead of the Jets-Giants preseason finale at MetLife Stadium in 2019, an administrative assistant popped into the team’s coaching offices to make an announcement to then-head coach Adam Gase and his staff. Woody Johnson, then serving as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom in the Trump administration, was temporarily returning from London. The assistant said everyone should refer to Johnson as “Mr. Ambassador.”"
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This is a deeply embarrassing article for the Johnsons. I hope for the sake of Jets fans that it makes the Johnsons wise up, but I'm old enough to know that people like the Johnsons will ignore the problems pointed out in the article and instead focus on finding the leakers.
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Woody and Rodgers are a bizarro version of another NY odd couple, George and Reggie.
George and Reggie were both larger than life, boisterous, brash and ambitious. They clashed but they (because they?) wanted to win.
Woody and AR are wraith-people. They’re both fragile, paranoid, misinformed, and weird.
George and Reggie were both larger than life, boisterous, brash and ambitious. They clashed but they (because they?) wanted to win.
Woody and AR are wraith-people. They’re both fragile, paranoid, misinformed, and weird.
George and Reggie were both good at their jobs or at least as still about as good as they ever were. Woody and AR are like Captain Hazelwood and Jerry Lundegaard.
To be fair, there were only two others.
I just finished that article. A few quick thoughts:
1) Anyone who wants to argue that Kraft is like or even approaching Woody needs to have their head examined. I suspect similar articles could be written about the likes of David Tepper. But as complicated as the separation from Bill has been it doesn’t remotely approach this level or depths of dysfunction.
2) Similarly, anyone who wants to point to “the failing New York Times” should look at that article as evidence to the contrary. ESPN could never write that article anymore, especially since OTL was mothballed. Independently owned media is good, folks.
3) However much that lickspittle spokesperson quoted repeatedly in the article is paid, it isn’t enough. Christ.
I just tried to watch this, and I may try again, but only when I pulled it up did the magnificence of the title of the show set in:
Enigma.
He’s not an enigma. He’s a shithead. That’s not the same thing. I burst out laughing.
Frankly, I definitely got my money’s worth just for that. Can’t wait until the next episode.
Even when the owner deserves to be shit on, players usually dont do it. But those rules dont apply to Baby Aaron. I bet the professional victim hopes to get released so he can whine about it later. Maybe he'll get his own tanktop.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/43129335/aaron-rodgers-suggests-jets-release-season
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/43129335/aaron-rodgers-suggests-jets-release-season
This asshole even got flagged for a personal foul, for a hit OOB on the guy returning a pick:
View: https://twitter.com/BpopeTV/status/1873471978507829572
View: https://twitter.com/BpopeTV/status/1873471978507829572
Reports that the Jets are interviewing Ron Rivera and Rex Ryan. Jets fans have to be ready to jump off Metlife at this point. Why would you even waste time talking with these two retreads?
Rivera lmao, i mean at least i can get Ryan being a name but Rivera is a bum! I have to imagine his name is being put out there to appease the league....
If there’s an argument for Rivera—and it’s not much of one—it’s that he helped reset the culture in Washington during the Snyder mess. He’s a decent guy and the Jets could def. benefit from that – tho of course they have a much better roster than the Commanders did when Rivera was hired and Johnson (and his teenage sons!) isn’t going anywhere.
I had completely forgotten that old Rexy coached the Bills in '15 - '16. Amazing he's getting an interview with an eight year coaching gap and the league trending toward young coaches, but the Jets.
It’s quite possible that that Woody doesn’t want to foot a large bill for a HC anymore
Don’t think so. They will go after Vrabel. Jets problem isn’t who to target it is who will accept the job.
See the problem (from Zack and Russini)
“The New York Jets and New Orleans Saints are expected to target Vrabel, according to league sources, and he’s expected to draw interest from other franchises. The Chicago Bears’ job is available, and others are expected to open up this offseason, including the Las Vegas Raiders’, Jacksonville Jaguars’ and possibly New York Giants’.
Another potential landing spot: the New England Patriots, if they decide to move on from Jerod Mayo after a disastrous first season. Vrabel played eight seasons for the Patriots, winning three Super Bowls, and was inducted into their Ring of Honor in 2023.
Vrabel is expected to prioritize openings with a positive ownership situation and teams with either a quality quarterback in place or a path to getting one in the near future.”
“The New York Jets and New Orleans Saints are expected to target Vrabel, according to league sources, and he’s expected to draw interest from other franchises. The Chicago Bears’ job is available, and others are expected to open up this offseason, including the Las Vegas Raiders’, Jacksonville Jaguars’ and possibly New York Giants’.
Another potential landing spot: the New England Patriots, if they decide to move on from Jerod Mayo after a disastrous first season. Vrabel played eight seasons for the Patriots, winning three Super Bowls, and was inducted into their Ring of Honor in 2023.
Vrabel is expected to prioritize openings with a positive ownership situation and teams with either a quality quarterback in place or a path to getting one in the near future.”
As opposed to coaches who prioritize openings with a negative ownership situation and no quarterback or path to get one?
Ha.
To be fair-ish, there might be coaching candidates who lack the "credentials"(?) to prioritize anything but "NFL Head Coach" after their name and checks that clear.
I'd add that there are several people in the league who are convinced that if they just get a shot - no matter how awful the surrounding situation - they are capable enough to either turn the thing around and look like a hero, or at least audition for a better gig when everyone else blames the ownership/players/FO/whatever. They aren't necessarily right, but I imagine a lot of NFL coaches are wired that way, supremely confident in their own talent and uniquely situated to succeed where others have failed.
As a WAS fan, let me weigh in. I am not so sure that he reset the culture as much as he took bullets for Snyder & Co for 4 years. He was not a good talent evaluator (all 1st & most of the 2nd round picks for his 4 years are no longer on the team), not very aware of what was going on (he was surprised that the game they lost when he started Wentz eliminated them from the playoffs) or created anything resembling a good culture. His best attribute was that he was not Snyder. He could not have gotten fired fast enough for most of us. His lasting legacy is that he was so $hitty of a coach, the new ownership were able to draft Daniels #2.