Post Game Press Conference – Jets QB Aaron Rodgers
JETS QUARTERBACK AARON RODGERS
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
October 27, 2024
What are the emotions after a game like that, especially the way it played out and all the talk you guys had this week?
AR: Yeah, frustration for sure.
Q: What were some of the first quarter – with having to use the time-outs, what were some of the issues that were going on?
AR: I’m not exactly sure. On one of them, we were lagging out of the huddle, one I was trying to get the protection right. One I felt like we could have gotten off, but it was fine to take it there. Yeah, our operation was a little slow at times.
Q: There’s been other games that are close like today; are you seeing a difference in the first half versus the second half of the game, losing energy?
AR: No, I thought the energy was great today. I thought guys were engaged. I thought we played with some passion. We just execution-wise didn’t do enough. Offensively we set our sights on scoring 30, and it was right there for us. We had 2nd and 1, couldn’t convert, there’s points, missed a field goal, so there we are right there.
Q: I think you discussed the operation and some of the issues, the pre-snap penalties, using the time-outs. I think some of those problems you expect with a young team where you lack the experience. Is it more frustrating that this is happening with a team that collectively on that side of the ball has played a lot of football?
AR: I mean, it’s not just – you can’t objectively say this is the reason why. There’s a lot of – we had some substitution stuff at times. We were laid back in the huddle. Sometimes after a big play, that can be a slow operation. We have shifts and motions on plays after some of those. We were trying to get lined up, trying to get the play off, trying to get the perfect call. There’s a lot to look at.
After the first time you played the Patriots, Drake Maye was very excited to get to meet you after the game. Up until he did go out, what were you seeing from him as a rookie quarterback?
AR: I think he was doing a nice job on his feet. He’s obviously super athletic. He made a nice run for a touchdown. I don’t know what happened to him. But he’s been playing good the last couple weeks. It’s tough on a rookie quarterback coming in, but it seems like he’s getting more comfortable.
Q: I don’t think anyone would look at this roster and say it’s a 2-6 roster. I’m sure you would agree with that. So what’s missing? What isn’t happening?
AR: Well, we’re not playing complementary football. We haven’t put it together really since the last time we won a game where all three phases played really well. Same thing today.
Q: I know you knew this was going to be an undertaking when you came here to the Jets. You talked about changing things, the Lombardi Trophy. But has this even been harder than maybe you expected? You knew it would be challenging, but even harder than that?
AR: That’s a little dramatic of a question, even for you. The NFL is hard. It’s hard to win. Harder when you make it difficult on yourself. Offensively we can’t worry about what else happens. We’ve got to be efficient. We’ve got to make the most of the opportunities. Again, there was yards left out there, opportunities left out there. Can’t leave it up to – we’ve got to score touchdowns. Can’t leave it up to Greg [Zuerlein] or try and pin it on Greg. We had a lot of opportunities to score 30, to make it a two-score game at times and didn’t do it.
Q: On the two-point delay penalty, what happened there?
AR: Well, they start the clock at 20, and we had a shift and a motion, and by the time it came down to it, the defense they were playing wasn’t good for the play that was called. I figured let’s just move it back to the 7, not that much of a difference. I liked the play that we called, but they brought zero pressure, and I guessed wrong, they guessed right.
Q: You guys kicked a field goal on 4th and 1 from the 11. Did you have much input into that and did you agree with the decision to kick?
AR: I always back Brick [Jeff Ulbrich].
Q: What would your message be to your team at this point?
AR: I’ll tell them.
Q: There’s a lot of guys on this team that haven’t been a part of a lot of success before. Is it hard to keep the belief when guys haven’t seen struggles turn into success?
AR: Yeah, I imagine it could be, yeah. Not for me, but I imagine it could be. That’s why the guys that have had success got to lead to pull us out of this.
Q: Brick called this a moment of darkness for this team. Is that how you see it, and how do you get out of it? You could just stay in it just as well.
AR: Yeah, I’ve been in the darkness. You’ve got to go in there, make peace with it. Offensively, our goal has just got to be to score 30. Doesn’t matter what the other two sides are doing. We have trust in our defense and teams, but if we’re not scoring 30, we’re underachieving. This offense can do that every single week.
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