Aaron Rodgers is coming off one of the disappointing seasons of his profession.
In his last 12 months as Packers quarterback, Rodgers threw for his lowest yardage complete in a full season.
His touchdowns had been down and his interceptions had been up.
That got here after back-to-back MVP seasons.
In his first season with the Jets, Rodgers will not be utilizing 2022 as a motivator however he’s assured that he can play higher than he did a 12 months in the past.
“I’m not taking a look at this like I’ve to bounce again or do something,” Rodgers stated. “I simply should play the way in which I understand how to play. I’ve been working my ass off for the final six months to try to put a greater product on the sphere than final 12 months and I anticipate to.”
Rodgers nonetheless put up good numbers for many quarterbacks.
It’s simply his requirements are larger than most.
He threw 26 touchdowns and had 12 interceptions, essentially the most he had thrown since 2008.
The Packers went 8-9 and Rodgers was hampered by a thumb harm for many of the season.
The 39-year-old will take the sphere Monday evening in opposition to the Payments for his first regular-season sport with the Jets.
He wouldn’t share what his private objectives are for the season however acknowledged he does set them.
“Yearly you set private objectives and have an concept the way you’d prefer to play and the way it performs out,” Rodgers stated. “It doesn’t work that approach. Generally it’s statistically lower than you suppose. Generally it’s far more. It simply is determined by the stream of the sport and what occurs throughout red-zone stuff and the way good you might be in situational soccer. However for those who’re doing properly on third down and doing properly within the purple zone, every thing sort of takes care of itself.”
The Jets are coming into this season with lofty expectations, primarily due to the arrival of Rodgers.
He has not shied away from these expectations and has stated he believes the Jets are able to profitable the Tremendous Bowl.
That was why he selected to come back to the Jets when the Packers determined to commerce him.
However the speaking now ends and the video games start. We’ll see if the Jets and Rodgers can stay as much as the hype of the final 5 months.
“You don’t know what’s going to occur,” Rodgers stated. “There’s lots of concepts about how good we’re going to be, how good all people else goes to be. Nothing actually issues till you get on the sphere and also you go on the market and play. It takes a couple of weeks to determine sort of your identification on each side of the ball. We’re going to be a piece in progress, however we’ve acquired some good exams out of the gate and we’ve acquired to begin quick on Monday.”
Rodgers was requested Thursday about his feedback at his introductory press convention in April in regards to the Jets being able to profitable a Tremendous Bowl and whether or not his resolve has been strengthened over latest months.
“I don’t suppose I wanted the resolve to be strengthened in any respect,” he stated. “There’s part of that that’s talking issues into existence, the thought of manifestation. The opposite half is a practical take a look at the locker room and understanding that there’s wherever from 6-12 groups yearly that may do it and that we’re a kind of 6-12 groups.”
The Jets aren’t simply relying on Rodgers. They imagine they’ve an elite protection, one which completed within the prime 5 final 12 months and has stars Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams main the way in which.
Rodgers was requested Thursday if having a protection that sturdy will assist him handle the sport. He clearly doesn’t just like the time period “sport supervisor.”
“I’ve by no means preferred a sentence that has ‘handle and ‘sport’ in the identical sentence,” Rodgers stated. “I really feel like as a quarterback you’re there to make performs. Generally the play is to verify it down and be sensible, however you’ve acquired to be opportunistic. While you’ve acquired an ideal protection, which I really feel like we do, I feel it’s important to play the way you’ve all the time performed and be sensible. You may take some possibilities once they’re there. It’s all a couple of proportion sport and looking for the highest-percentage matchup each time.”
