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After the Jets 2023-24 season concluded, Aaron Rodgers made news when he said:
“Anything that doesn’t have anything to do with winning needs to be assessed. Anything in this building that we’re doing individually or collectively that has nothing to do with real winning needs to be assessed. Everything that we do has to have a purpose. When you step in the building, there’s intentionality with everything you do. It’s not a half-the-time thing. It’s not a sometimes thing. It’s not a most-of-the-time thing. It’s an every-time thing.
“If you want to be a winning organization and put yourself in a position to win championships and be competitive, everything that you do matters. The bull—t that has nothing to do with winning needs to get out of the building. That will be the focus moving forward.”
So with the Jets returning to practice this week for OTAs, it was a good time to revisit this quote, and see what Rodgers would like the focus to be on, and what BS needs to get out of the building in his huge year for Gang Green, as they look to snap a 13-year playoff drought.
Here is the exchange from Tuesday’s press conference:
Dan Leberfeld, New York Jets Confidential: You had said after the season that the bs needs to get out of the building. What did you mean by that and how does that look moving forward?
Rodgers: I mean, I addressed that. I don’t have a lot to say other than that, I feel like it was pretty direct what I said.
When did he address it?
Where in that answer above did he specifically point out what BS needs to leave the building? His quote was very vague, and that is fine.
But with the team getting back together and hitting the practice field as a group again, as a reporter, I wanted to know, and I’m sure some of you want to know, moving forward, what bs he wants to see go by the wayside.
He chose not to address it and I respect that.
He probably figured it would become a huge national story if he got into specifics publicly.
So he wasn’t going to go there.
But here is the bottom line. He doesn’t owe me a specific answer, and he doesn’t owe you a specific answer about what bs he was talking about, but as long as he addresses his concerns with the powers-that-be and teammates behind the scenes, that is all that matters.
He doesn’t need to do it publicly.
But a few minutes after my question, Brian Costello from the New York Post, asked a pretty gutsy follow-up:
Brian Costello, New York Post: Aaron, just to re-visit the bs comment. You kind of had said you guys have to get rid of everything that doesn’t have to do directly with winning here.
Rodgers: Inside the building, yes.
Costello: I think some people will look at like the Vice Presidential talk or some of your podcast appearances talking about Vaccines and stuff and say, “Well, wait a second, how is that not a distraction or how does that contribute to winning?” How do you feel about that?
Rodgers: I appreciate anyone’s opinion. That’s beauty in the first amendment in this country and free speech, whether it’s positive to me, whether it’s negative. I joke about people talking about their Vax status before they mentioned comments about me. I do that because there’s definitely people that view me under that lens, and so the comments that are made about me are usually framed in that mindset. I don’t think that’s like a sensitive comment or a victimization comment, it’s just the actual truth. I respect those opinions, but those are offseason things. Those are real opportunities. Mostly podcasts with
friends of mine, and then the Bobby (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) thing was a real thing. How it got out there, I don’t know, it wasn’t from me. Once the season starts, it’s all about football.
But honestly, my question had nothing to do with his comments on podcasts. I was just wondering what BS he specifically wanted out of the building.
He didn’t answer the question and I have no issue with that. I really don’t.
As long as he deals with whatever he wants changed privately at 1 Jets Drive that is all that matters.
And watching him rip into a teammate for how he ran a route yesterday, there is a good chance he will.
May 22, 2024
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