Jets played on Monday Night Football last night for what feels like the fifth time this season, and while the main story should've been how they broke physics by giving up less than 200 yards of offense to the Chargers, winning time of possession by nearly ten minutes, and still losing by 21 points, Mr. Rodgers stole the show once again by throwing pregame on his surgically repaired right achilles.
Did he look good throwing on air? Damn right he did. Did he say 'give me a few weeks' when asked by an opponent after the game about his playing status? Hell yes he did! Is it helpful for team culture to have this New York celebrity distracting his team who have a great defense and playoff hopes for the next 6 weeks about whether he'll come back? Absolutely not.
Aaron knows there's not a chance he'll come back this year... but he's gotten a little addicted to the limelight, addicted to the attention in this new world of social media, and I don't blame him one bit - some would call it the most alluring drug of them all. This goes back to the offseason, when he was seen all over the place at the US Open, at the Knicks game, gallivanting around NYC before taking a single snap for the down trodden New York Jets.
This stuff is all well and good when things are going well - when the team is winning, when the player in question is healthy and contributing - but when the dude isn't on the field? He's out at the Breeders' Cup in California 2700 miles away, flying back each and every week 'for morale' or something like that? I don't know Aaron... I think you want to get the folks talking about you once again. He's causing more distraction on a playoff contender than he's worth, and it's just sad to see for the good, simple, hard-working New York Jets fans who have not won a division title since 2002 or been to a Super Bowl since their one appearance in 1968.
What would TB12 do? Not this... he'd be in some remote location at elevation with Alex Guerrero and completely shut off from the outside world drinking electrolyte and concussion water doing pliability and band exercises all damn day, sleeping in bioceramic pajamas and underwear, breathing through his nose and letting his magical body heal naturally. Not taking 5 hour bi-weekly flights across the country to go to the damn Breeders' Cup and tease coming back the same season his achilles exploded.
I'm sneaky going to be rooting for the Jets the rest of the season in hopes they are in actual playoff contention by week 14-15. It's a win-win for Rodgers - he will not get much if any criticism if he does not come back to play, even if they Jets end up in a situation where they're 9-6 and need to win out the last two games, since it's a damn 'season ending injury', those who really know what's going on will know he was never for real.
I see this as another show of the 'most talented quarterback ever' - 'greatest thrower of the football' people all over a guy whose a HOF player, probably a top 15 all-time QB, but never that dude in that moment who you know is going to take it home. People forget the one QB he beat to win the NFC is Caleb Hanie... hope you make it back this season, Aaron! If not, the winter meet just launched at Golden Gate Fields last weekend - HMU if you want to catch some more horse racing with TI leading the charge!
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