Whether he plays in preseason or not, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers believes that his continued work to get back on the field has him in a solid place. Rodgers, who has yet to play in preseason, has fully participated in the multiple joint practices that the Jets have conducted with other NFL teams.
Rodgers followed a similar plan last year, participating in joint practices but not playing in preseason. Then of course, he was injured four plays into his Jets debut in Week 1.
That season-ending Achilles injury is not slowing down Rodgers as he gears up for the Jets’ much-anticipated season opener at the San Francisco 49ers.
Play in preseason or not, Rodgers says it doesn’t matter. Where he is physically ahead of the NFL season? That’s what counts.
“I don’t really have a preference. I feel good about where I’m at with my body and what I’ve kind of put together,” Rodgers told reporters on Tuesday.
“I feel like I’ve done different things throughout camp as far as you know, roll outs and pulling up, getting out of the pocket and making plays, throwing back across my body, pump faking, actually extending plays and getting some yards, so I feel like I’ve done a lot, haven’t taken a hit. You know, it’s kind of the main thing. Thankfully, I respect and appreciate my defense for that. Every now and then, there’s a bunch of some crazy guys you might worry about accidentally drilling you from time-to-time. We’ll see if we can get through [Wednesday] without getting drilled.”
Rodgers has consistently been frank in saying that not a lot can be gained from preseason games. In turn, the joint practices against NFL teams can be beneficial for him in terms of sharpness and conditioning.
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“I stand by what I said. I mean, even these joint practices, there’s a fear among all the staffs on like, how much can we show? What should we hold back? What are we actually going to run for this session? It’s a who do you know coaching business? So, everybody talks to each other,” Rodgers said.
“And if somebody doesn’t like somebody, you know, somebody has a friend on the Niners staff, maybe they’re going to tell them something about something that we were run. I think that’s the fear and probably on their side too. I just know with Carolina, it wasn’t like they did a whole lot, so how much work do we actually get out of that? I think it’s good for going against somebody else, but is it actually making you better than practicing against your own team? I guess it’s debatable.”