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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterSep 11, 2024, 04:10 PM ET
- Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Ten years ago, quarterback Aaron Rodgers famously told a nervous Green Bay Packers fan base to “R-E-L-A-X” after the team’s 1-2 start.
Coming off the New York Jets‘ blowout loss Monday night, Rodgers dusted off the oldie but goodie, delivering a revised version Wednesday for fans — and perhaps teammates — who might be edgy about the team’s current plight.
“I think we always have to stay relaxed,” he said. “It’s a long season. I think, at times, people think the season is like you’re out in the prairie or the desert and you’re moving around trying to find water, but it’s more like a nice, slow Bolero, where we’re just swaying with the music and reacting to whatever comes to us and through us, just trying to not get too high with the highs or too low with the lows.”
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Perhaps fittingly, the Jets — 32-19 losers to the San Francisco 49ers — will head to Music City in search of their first win. They face the Tennessee Titans (0-1) on Sunday at Nissan Stadium, looking to eliminate the sting of a season-opening defeat that fueled panic among some fans.
“The league is a lot different than when I said ‘relax’ years ago in that there’s just so much more coverage [and] there’s so much more opportunity for overreaction,” Rodgers said. “So I get it. We want to win, the fans want to win, the organization wants to win, but the process has to be the same.
“If it’s good enough in Week 1, it’s good enough in the playoffs, so we’ve got to stick to the process and the preparation, the way that goes, and trust that it’s good enough.”
After Rodgers’ “R-E-L-A-X” comment, the Packers won four straight, finished 12-4 and reached the NFC Championship Game. He delivered that line on Sept. 23, 2014 — a 10-year anniversary of sorts.
Speaking of anniversaries, Rodgers said he received an early morning text Wednesday (he wouldn’t say from whom) reminding him that it was on this day last year (Sept. 11, 2023) that he tore his left Achilles on the fourth snap of the season.
Reflecting on the past year, Rodgers said “there was a lot of emotion, a lot of perspective and gratitude. So a lot has changed in the year and I’m glad to still be playing and feel healthy.” Clearly, he wanted to keep the focus on the next opponent and polishing certain parts of his game.
Against the 49ers, Rodgers completed 13 of 21 attempts for 167 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He led the Jets on two touchdown drives.
“I feel good about what I did out there,” he said. “For the most part, I felt like my feet were good, the perfunctory signals were good [and] subtle adjustments. There are some things I can clean up, for sure, but it was good to get back out there and feel like I was in the flow at least.”
Said tight end Tyler Conklin: “He looked awesome. Some of the throws that he made out there, obviously he didn’t lose his arm talent, right? That was his first time playing football in a year, so I can only imagine how he’s going to be feeling after we get rolling.”
The Jets will need to be better on defense, which gave up eight straight scoring drives Monday night. It surrendered 180 rushing yards, as backup running back Jordan Mason gashed the Jets with cutback runs to the outside. Players said there would be an emphasis this week on tightening up their edges.
Edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, who said he apologized to teammates for having a subpar game, said they might be able to rattle Titans quarterback Will Levis.
“He’s a talented athlete and can throw the ball pretty well,” Johnson said, “but just watching film and just understanding some things about him, especially when he comes out, he’s one of those guys that, when things aren’t going his way, he kind of can panic a little early.”
