Aaron Rodgers' cadence audible? Jets coach Robert Saleh walks comment back
Aaron Rodgers of the Jets reacts after a penalty was called during a game against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Robert Saleh clarified what he meant about Aaron Rodgers’ cadence after Sunday’s loss to Denver and said it’s a weapon the Jets still plan to use.
Rodgers’ cadence is one of his hallmarks, and it often leads to the defense jumping offside and the offense getting a free play. The Jets were flagged for five false starts on Sunday and had 13 penalties overall in the 10-9 defeat.
Saleh suggested afterward that the Jets are not “good enough or ready to handle the cadence.” On Monday, he said the coaches watched video and “talked at length” about limiting or eradicating the penalties. According to Saleh, there are things they can do better for the players “just to clear their minds a little bit.”
One of them won’t be dialing back Rodgers’ cadence. Saleh said he was referring to the operation.
“We’re always going to push the envelope with cadence,” he said. “With regards to operation, getting in and out of the huddle, getting to the line of scrimmage, the communication that we had, those are things we’ll continue to look at and clean up.
“From a cadence standpoint, that’s part of what makes us who we are, and we’re going to continue to always push the envelope on that.”
Rodgers was asked after the game about Saleh implying that they might cut back on his cadence, and he bristled at that notion.
“That’s one way to do it,” Rodgers said. “The other way is to hold them accountable. We haven’t had an issue. We’ve had one false start. Morgan [Moses] had one false start, I believe, until this.
“It’s been a weapon. We use it every day in practice. We rarely have a false start, and to have five today, it seems like an outlier. I don’t know if we need to make mass changes based on kind of an outlier game.”
The Jets had a number of concerns coming out of this game that have Saleh and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett under fire again. It’s not unwarranted. The Jets looked ill-prepared, sloppy and not focused after having nine days to rest and prepare for this game.
Rodgers probably could use some extra rest this week after the beating his body took. He was hit 14 times and sacked five times. Rodgers said he got “banged up” and was feeling “some stuff in both legs.” Protecting their 40-year-old quarterback is something Saleh and his staff need to address.
“It’d make you sick if he was a 20-year-old quarterback,” Saleh said. “You want your quarterback feeling comfy back there. He definitely wasn’t comfortable.”
Saleh isn’t expecting Rodgers to appear on the Jets’ injury report this week, though.
“From everything that I gathered, it’s just the standard wear and tear from getting beat up a little bit,” Saleh said.
The Jets need to fix their pass protection issues quickly. They play the 4-0 Vikings, led by resurgent former Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, in London on Sunday. Minnesota went into Monday leading the NFL with 17 sacks and had 37 quarterback hits.
“There’s little areas where we could have done better as an O-line to keep him upright, to keep those hits off him,” center Joe Tippmann said. “We’ve got a plan to work through that and we’re going to be confident in that plan as we go through it.”
Saleh gave credit to Denver’s defense, calling it “a legit top five, top three defense.” Still, there was plenty of blame to go around for the Jets’ offense performing as if it were 2023 all over again.
The Jets’ pass protection and run blocking were subpar. The play-calling was conservative and predictable. Receivers and Rodgers were not on the same page, and Rodgers held on to the ball too long at times. The Jets committed 15 penalties, 13 of which were accepted.
Saleh called the pre-snap penalties “unacceptable” and said the onus is on the coaches to change that.
“We take responsibility for everything that happens on the football field. It’s the seat we live in,” Saleh said. “You’re always going to look inward to see what type of language you’re using to cause the penalties. We’re always going to look inward to try and make sure things get fixed.”
Notes & quotes: Defensive tackle Leki Fotu (hamstring) could return to practice this week after starting the season on injured reserve, Saleh said.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
