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You can find 1,000 things to dissect from the first nine practices of Jets training camp, but there is really just one thing that matters: Aaron Rodgers looks like Aaron Rodgers.
Will it translate in the regular season? We’ll see. But for now, through these early weeks of training camp, Rodgers has dazzled at times with incredible throws, matched wits with the defense by changing plays at the line of scrimmage and, most importantly, shown durability.
The 40-year-old quarterback coming off a torn Achilles has been on the field for every first-team snap in camp. There have been no concessions made to the fact that he is 11 months removed from such a devastating injury.
“He looks like he never missed any time,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said Saturday.
Saturday’s “Green and White” practice was a particularly grueling one, played in ridiculous heat. The Jets scrimmaged for 90 minutes. Rodgers led drives of 11 and 17 plays. He went 19 of 30 in the scrimmage and was out there for 42 plays. He did not throw any touchdown passes, but he was undermined by mistakes from others like a bad snap from center Joe Tippmann inside the 10 and a fumble by rookie Isaiah Davis.
Everything about this Jets season is riding on No. 8. In many ways, this training camp feels like a continuation of last year and the expectations that he brought with him from Green Bay are back. In other ways, things feel different. Rodgers feels more like a part of the team than a superstar dropped into the middle of the Jets.
Much was made about Rodgers and wide receiver Garrett Wilson having heated exchanges in practices, but that is a sign of how comfortable the two are around each other now. There is no way Wilson would have fired back at Rodgers last year.
Florham Park felt like the Sahara Desert on Saturday, but that was the only reason anyone would even remember Rodgers’ June trip to Egypt that drew so much attention.
Watching Rodgers operate the offense feels like watching a master practice his craft. Every day there is a pass that makes jaws drop. On Saturday, it was a back-shoulder throw to Wilson. The day before it was a deep pass to Wilson for a touchdown.
“He’s an impressive dude and he’s a Hall of Famer for a reason,” Saleh said.
These Jets have high expectations but they also have issues to fix. Haason Reddick remains a holdout and there is no indication that the two sides are close. Tippmann is having issues snapping the ball to Rodgers in the shotgun formation. The wide receiver room has been hit by injuries.
But here is the thing the Jets have not had in the past when issues came up: a quarterback who can hide all those flaws. Bad quarterbacks expose your warts. Good quarterbacks cover them up.
Yes, the Jets need to get Reddick into camp. Yes, Tippmann needs to get his snaps down. But there have been years around the Jets where it felt like there was zero margin for error. Rodgers gives them some wiggle room. He’ll make up for their imperfections.
“I talk to my friends back home all the time, it’s like playing with MJ or Kobe,” veteran defensive tackle Solomon Thomas said. “It is like one-of-a-kind. I feel blessed to be around him. I feel blessed to be a part of this team. He’s the best in the game.
“I mean, the adjustments he makes at the line of scrimmage is crazy. What he sees, what he hears, what he notices, how aware he is. You haven’t seen it.”
You can break down everything you want about the Jets right now and worry about this issue or that issue.
Here’s the only thing that matters: Aaron Rodgers looks like Aaron Rodgers. That should make any Jets fan smile.
