Losers of four straight, the New York Jets are “in the fire,” according to quarterback Aaron Rodgers. And he believes it’s on him to save them.
Rodgers, in his weekly spot on “The Pat McAfee Show,” said Tuesday the Jets are “playing with too much anger and not enough enjoyment.” The four-time MVP, whose leadership was questioned by pundits with his recent criticism of teammate Mike Williams, said he will be focused this week on changing the team’s attitude.
“The power of belief is a snowball that can start in an avalanche, and I think that’s what we need,” Rodgers said. “It starts with me. I’ve got to bring the right energy every single day, and especially on game day.
“I feel like we’ve been loose, we’ve been having good practices, but for whatever reason there’s been a bit of tightness on game day, and I think that’s got to start with me. … I need to be a great leader.”
The Jets (2-5) are on the road this 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 may have contributed to that with a momentum-changing interception late in the second quarter — a “s—ty interception,” he called it.
“We just need to have a little more fun, smile more to enjoy each other,” he said. “It’s fun when you win, of course, but I think there are ways of taking some of the pressure off and it’s got to start with me this week with my energy and my approach.
“I was disappointed not just about the [interception], but a couple other [throws] I wish I could’ve had back. But we just have to respond adversity a little bit better, and it starts with me, and I’ve got to lead the way with that.”
Rodgers, 40, is off to perhaps the worst start of his career. He already has seven interceptions, the most he’s had after seven games since 2010. That year, his third as the Green Bay Packers’ starter, he had nine picks in that span.
The Jets, 0-2 since firing Robert Saleh, are on the verge of falling out of contention. Their last win was over the Patriots — 24-3 in Week 3. Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said “there’s a bit of pressing” from players, including Rodgers.
“I just think he’s such an amazing human being and teammate, and he feels such a strong obligation to this team in the locker room,” Ulbrich said Monday. “That can get us all a little bit out of whack at times, myself included.”
Rodgers spoke glowingly of Ulbrich, but he evidently feels the team plays tight and doesn’t handle adversity well. And pressure, for that matter. Before Pittsburgh, the Jets dropped three close games in a row. In fact, they had a chance to pull out a win on their final possession in each game. Two of them ended with interceptions on targets to Williams.
After an Oct. 14 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Rodgers called out Williams for running the wrong route. It’s unusual for a quarterback to publicly criticize a player. Williams, who could be deemed expendable with the arrival of Davante Adams, insisted he wasn’t bothered it.
Now Rodgers want to put the onus on himself and the offense. Long considered a defensive-minded organization — it had a top five defense the last two seasons — Rodgers said it’s time to make a shift.
“I think we need to just adjust that mindset,” he said. “Instead of like, ‘Hey, let’s go play,’ it’s, ‘Hey, let’s win the game on offense.’ And I know it seems like a little thing or trivial, but mindset is everything.”