Just as Aaron Rodgers is at the center of the New York Jets universe these days, so was the 39-year-old quarterback at the heart of the premiere episode of Hard Knocks this season.
In fact, it was all Aaron Rodgers, all the time. The first 12 minutes of the show were devoted exclusively to the new “A-Rod” in town.
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But that’s OK. Rodgers is the main story at Jets training camp and it doesn’t hurt that he’s a charismatic personality. Never a bad idea to focus on a sure-fire future Hall of Famer.
Rodgers delivered for the HBO cameras. Mic’d up, he promised some “good sh*!” for the viewers and was caught in fun repartee with fellow quarterback Zach Wilson and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
The best Rodgers’ segment was watching and listening to him on the sidelines in sweats during the Hall of Fame game against the Cleveland Browns. His banter on the headset with Robert Saleh — telling the Jets coach “you’re too negative” — was good stuff. So was seeing his competitiveness as he flashed anger and cursed when the Jets offense made mistakes on the field.
Then there’re things that simply make Rodgers stand out. In the Browns game he sees an opportunity for Wilson to strike a big play with wide receiver Malik Taylor. “Throw it to Malik,” Rodgers says before the ball is snapped. The play unfolds with Wilson connecting on a 57-yard bomb to Taylor.
There’s also a segment when Rodgers completes a touchdown pass in tight coverage to cap a two-minute drill at camp. Later defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich shows his players video of how perfectly positioned the defense was on that play. But Rodgers still found a way to beat them, and the defensive players are actually laughing watching it on film.
“Guys, this is across the f-ing field on the back shoulder. … I don’t know if there’s any other human on earth that can make that f–ing throw,” Ulbrich said.
“He’s our quarterback. He’s ours. He’s ours.”
Here are some other takeaways from episode one of Hard Knocks.
Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner compromise second-biggest New York Jets storyline
“Iron sharpens iron” is well-worn cliché used often by Saleh. It surely applies to the daily battles between Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner during team drills.
In the most compelling segment in the first episode, HBO cameras focused on the 2022 NFL Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year going head-to-head, pushing each other on every play. They also caught the mutual respect Wilson and Gardner have for each other. How they shake hands at the line of scrimmage and share insights once a play is done.
HBO also went behind-the-scenes with Gardner as he followed through on a promise to his mother and received his degree, graduating from the University of Cincinnati. It was a personal and poignant segment.
“It was always a box, I feel like, that was unchecked,” Gardner said. “I gotta be a leader on and off the field. I’d do a disservice if I didn’t get my degree.”
The kid is special.
Rodgers knows it too. Before the Hall of Fame Game, Rodgers said to Gardner, “you’ll be here one day.”
Wilson displayed a million-dollar smile when filmed driving to practice and talking about Rodgers.
“It’s a blessing,” Wilson said of having Rodgers on the team.
The cameras also went behind-the-scenes to show Wilson filming a Dunkin Donuts commercial.
Too much from the “Voice of God”
Actor Liev Schreiber has been the voice of Hard Knocks for years. He was filmed arriving at Jets camp in a helicopter and Rodgers was fired up to meet the “Voice of God.”
Others, like Hackett and Zach Wilson, were less inclined to chat up Schreiber. So, Rodgers gave them a hard time. Fun footage.
There was also a cool exchange between the two when Schreiber told Rodgers he “made a lot of New Yorkers happy” by joining the Jets. To which the veteran who’s seen it all and done it all replied, “So far.” The insinuation being Jets fans won’t be as happy if Rodgers and the team struggle this season.
However, Schreiber showed up too often in the episode and that wasn’t needed. One small segment sufficed.
Speaking of Zach Wilson …
The QB who was replaced by Rodgers had his fair share of face time in the premiere episode of Hard Knocks. It was interesting to watch Rodgers mentor and encourage Wilson. It’s truly a big brother-little brother relationship, one that Rodgers and Wilson each embraced.
In a sit-down interview segment, Wilson was honest in discussing his struggles as the Jets starter last season. He also showed a bit of swag after that long completion to Taylor against the Browns, crowing, “that was a dime-and-a-half.”
Oh, and speaking of crows …
Saleh’s opening speech to his team likely had the Jets and their fans ready to run through a wall. He compared the Jets to a soaring eagle and their doubters/haters as crows.
“Did you know that the only bird in the world that will attack an eagle is a crow,” Saleh said. “It’s a crow. That’s the only bird that will have the balls to attack an eagle. It will perch on the eagle’s back and peck at its neck. So rather than fight back and tear a crow to pieces, like it can, an eagle spreads its wings and soars as high as it possibly can. It keeps going, and going, and going, as high as it can. The higher the eagle flies, the harder it is for the crow to breathe. Eventually, the crow suffocates, falls back down to earth and dies. That’s what happens.”