Aaron Rodgers Impresses and Wins Over New York Jets

By Mike Boot Hagen

“Personally, I’ve never worked with a quarterback like this. And I’ve had good quarterbacks like Russell Wilson, Jimmy Garoppolo or Matt Schaub. This is a different level and I don’t want to badmouth the others.”

Robert Saleh is in love. The New York Jets coach couldn’t contain his excitement about new signing Aaron Rodgers at a press conference. So far they’ve only trained together, but according to Saleh “it couldn’t be better”.

New York Jets: Aaron Rodgers makes himself popular

The so-called “OTAs” are currently running. So “Organized Team Activities” – so that’s a voluntary training that the players don’t have to take part in. Many players like to skip this. So has Rodgers in recent years with the Green Bay Packers.

But not the Rodgers in New York. He presents himself from the first second in the units and knows how to impress the trainers: “When I was thrown, I thought: ‘It’s a shame, it’s thrown over’, but the ball flew and flew and flew and hit the target perfectly. I thought me: ‘Oh my God’! It was amazing,” said Saleh of A-Rod’s first wow moment in practice.

“I haven’t seen my second wow moment like this. He throws a ball at CJ Uzomah (tight end) and I’m like, ‘It’s covered!’ but Aaron said to me afterwards, ‘The defender isn’t looking at me, it’s open’.” And here, too, the Rodgers ball arrives, since Uzomah was only freed by this throw. One of many characteristics that prove that the long back and forth with the Green Bay Packers could be worthwhile.

New York Jets: Saleh doesn’t know what to do with the excitement

“It couldn’t be better. It really couldn’t be better,” said Saleh enthusiastically. And it’s true, Rodgers looks like a different person. He communicates a lot and seems to be trying to win over the dressing room.

“He’s very thoughtful about the way he goes about everything. He goes out with our boys. Every weekend. And every time it’s different players so he can spend time with as many different players as possible. He wants everyone in the building to have that Know names, whether it’s the boss or the coaches or the guys who run the equipment,” explains Saleh, why he’s so intrigued by Rodgers.

Saleh even has an expression for it: “I call it the language of love. Everyone has it. Relationships, relationships and getting to know people are very important to Aaron. And that’s not something that can be taken for granted.”

New York Jets: Saleh on relationship with Rodgers

Rodgers values ​​trust and an environment in which he feels comfortable. There is sometimes ridicule on social media for bringing players like Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard or Malik Taylor from Green Bay. But that’s exactly what his thinking in a team shows. He wants to feel good in order to be able to perform.

“He has an incredible understanding of the game. He has comments on training, says what he likes and doesn’t like. Every training session is important and he sets the accents on what we should pay attention to. Sometimes it can also be small things like, ‘Hey, stop it incorporate a running clock into the unit to practice this.’ Nothing extraordinary, but important,” chats the main trainer.

“He’s obsessed with detail. And at the end of the day, he still wants to be coached. He doesn’t always want to hear that he’s doing a good job. He wants the challenge. And I have to do that, challenge him. Every thought he has. Everything , to make him better, to make us better. I mean that to each of our players.”

When asked if Rodgers specifically asked him that he wanted to be coached, Saleh replied with a grin: “Not yet. Hopefully he never has to.”