New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and four-time NFL Jets MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers is at odds after the two had different reactions to New York’s penalty issues in its 10-9 home loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
The Jets were called for an NFL-high 13 penalties during their Week 4 loss that ran their record to 2-2 on the 2024 season, and eight of those violations were on Rodgers’ offense. Those eight offensive penalties were the second most committed by an offense in Week 4, behind only the Houston Texans’ nine. Five of those penalties came on offensive false starts, which Saleh attributed to his four-time NFL MVP quarterback’s difficult count, pre-snap cadence. Two were called on left guard John Simpson, two more were called on running back Breece Hall, and one was called on eight-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith.
“We have to figure it out,” Saleh said postgame. “Whether or not we’re good enough to handle or ready enough to handle the whole cadence. Cadence hasn’t been an issue all camp. I felt like our operation worked pretty well. Obviously today took a big step back.”
One of Simpson’s false starts may have heavily influenced the outcome of Sunday’s game. The Jets faced fourth-and-goal one yard from the end zone early in the second quarter before Simpson was whistled for a false start violation. That led New York to kick a field goal from Denver’s six, a 23-yarder that put the Jets ahead 3-0, instead of trying to score a touchdown from a yard away. Rodgers bristled at his postgame press conference when told of Saleh’s thoughts on the false starts, saying the head coach could also hold his teammates accountable for their mistakes.
“That’s one way to do it. The other way is to hold them accountable,” Rodgers said postgame when told Saleh suggested dialing back the quarterback’s difficult calculation. “We didn’t have a problem. We only had one false start. [Right tackle] Morgan had one false start, I believe, until this. You know it was a weapon. We use it every day in practice. We rarely have a false start. Having five today seemed like four or five. Yes, it seems extraordinary. I don’t know if we have to make mass changes based on a kind of extraordinary game.”
New York was called for just eight offensive penalties in Weeks 1-3, tied for 10th-fewest in the league. Rodgers’ extraordinary point was correct: Only one of those eight offensive penalties in Weeks 1-3 was a false start, which was called on right tackle Morgan Moses in the Jets’ 24-3 home win on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 3. .There weren’t any false starts called for New York in any of the team’s road games this season in Week 1 at the San Francisco 49ers or in Week 2 at the Tennessee Titans. The Jets had a chance to win late Sunday against the Broncos, but kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a 50-yard, sharp field goal with 51 seconds left.
All-Pros back Rodgers on false start “issue” surrounding his patented hard count
Not surprisingly, past and present All-Pro players back Rodgers on this issue, agreeing with the future Hall of Fame quarterback that his hard count is indeed a weapon. Retired five-time first-team All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly, who was also the 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the 2010’s NFL All-Decade Team along with Rodgers, said he would “love it” if he had to. face Rodgers with his patented hard count turned back. Kuechly went 2-2 against Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers in his eight-year NFL career from 2012 to 2019, all with the Carolina Panthers. He recorded 25 total tackles in those matchups but no sacks, quarterback pressures, forced fumbles, fumbles recovered or interceptions. Rodgers was able to limit the impact of the disruptive inside linebacker, in part by keeping him and his teammates guessing with his hard count.
“He nailed it: ‘my hard count is a weapon,'” Kuechly said of Rodgers on Monday on an appearance on “Up and Adams” with Kay Adams. “The amount of big plays, go ask (retired Packers wide receiver) Jordy Nelson. ‘Hey Jordy, do you think the hard count that Aaron Rodgers has is effective?’ He would say, “Yeah, I got a lot of money on go balls that Aaron threw to me after a defensive lineman jumped offsides.” So, I played against Aaron Rodgers’ hard count and talked about it before, I think it’s really effective … I’d love it if I played an Aaron Rodgers team if they went every time, especially on third down. I’d love it.”
Kay Adams did one better and instead of asking Nelson, whose 65 receiving touchdowns from Rodgers are Rodgers’ second most by a single target, she called up Las Vegas Raiders three-time first-team All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams. His 68 receiving touchdowns from Rodgers when the two were together in Green Bay is the most the quarterback has thrown to a single target in his entire career.
“Aaron is all about the attention to detail,” Adams said Tuesday morning. “So, snap count, that’s attention to detail. You have to be locked in on something like that. We always talked about in Green Bay ‘that the play is hard enough to win on our own, so let’s not lose it pre-snap. . .’ … At least let’s soften our pre-click operation.’ Everyone hears the same click count in the crowd, so there’s really no excuse to hold people accountable, I agree (with Rodgers that’s what you have to do versus run away if guys can).
Adams pointed to having a culture of accountability as a reason why the Packers became the first team in NFL history to win at least 13 games in three consecutive seasons from 2019-2021. Those were Adams’ last three seasons in Green Bay and head coach Matt LaFleur’s first three seasons with the Packers.
“That’s the winning culture we’ve had in Green Bay. That’s why we’ve had so many successful years,” Adams said. “Obviously we didn’t win a Super Bowlwho sucked But my last three years there, 13 games (won) three years in a row, that doesn’t happen by accident. You have to be detailed and demand the most from your team.”
Perhaps Adams and Rodgers will be teammates again, but in New York as Jets under Saleh, with Adams requesting a trade Tuesday afternoon.
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