Jets' Aaron Rodgers' body feeling better thanks to Thomas Morstead's 'fountain of youth'
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, right, is brought down by New England Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss, left, in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. Credit: AP/Charles Krupa
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Aaron Rodgers’ body has responded well on this short week, and he might have punter Thomas Morstead to thank for it.
“T-Mo gave me a little fountain of youth he’s been taking for a while,” Rodgers said Tuesday. “All legal of course.”
It’s water with cayenne pepper. Morstead, 38, has been drinking it. Rodgers started drinking it before Sunday’s loss in New England. He said his body feels great heading into Thursday night’s game versus the Texans and he’s giving some credit to Morstead.
“I’ve been kind of gassing him up, that’s why I’m feeling so good,” Rodgers said. “I’m not sure how much that’s playing a factor.”
There are health benefits to drinking cayenne pepper and water, including pain relief. Rodgers has been dealing with knee, ankle and hamstring issues. Fortunately he said, his surgically repaired Achilles tendon is fine.
The Jets need Rodgers’ play to match his body because he hasn’t been as sharp as anyone anticipated. The Jets have lost five straight games and are a disappointing 2-6.
It’s not all on Rodgers. The Jets have many reasons they’ve underachieved. As the quarterback, though, Rodgers is taking a lot of the heat and criticism is coming from all sides.
After Sunday’s game, Patriots nose tackle Davon Godchaux said it looks like Rodgers is “struggling” and not moving well.
“I can run him down and catch him,” Godchaux said. “He don’t look mobile at all.”
Rodgers didn’t disagree with Godchaux’s assessment, but he feels like he will play much differently and move around better on Thursday night.
“I expect to be able to do a lot more this week, be under center and hopefully be back to my faster than Godchaux speed,” Rodgers said.
Being able to move will be important against the Texans and their aggressive pass rush. Will Anderson has 7.5 sacks and Danielle Hunter 5.5. Rodgers has taken a beating this season. The Jets are hoping to avoid that this game.
They have put themselves in a position where every game is basically a must-win going forward. They have suffered some deflating losses during this skid. Three of them were by a total of seven points.
The Patriots scored a game-winning touchdown with 22 seconds left that left the Jets angry, upset and in a dark place. The team seemed in good spirits on Tuesday.
“There’s still a lot of season left,” Rodgers said.
In assessing his own play through eight games, Rodgers is not happy.
“Not as good as I would have hoped,” Rodgers said. “I’ve got to play better.”
Rodgers has thrown 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. During the losing streak, he’s had seven touchdown passes and six picks. The offensive operation hasn’t been clean either. False starts, delay of games and early timeouts have been littered throughout this skid.
“I got to be more efficient,” Rodgers said. “I’ve turned the ball over too many times. Interceptions can be misleading at times. I’ve definitely had my share of poor throws.”
Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said Rodgers is “definitely frustrated,” but he’s encouraged by how he’s feeling and how hard he’s working to change the course of this season.
“The one thing about Aaron is he is a great teammate,” Ulbrich said. “He wants to do right by the guys around him. The fact that he doesn’t feel like he’s doing as well as he can, that’s frustrating.
“He feels this obligation to be the player that pulls these games out for us and is the reason that we win. He does have a level of frustration. At the same time he’s focused, he’s working his butt off and I anticipate him, as he gets into a groove here, that he gets better and becomes the Aaron that we all know.”
Kicking competition
Greg Zuerlein is still with the Jets, but the kicking tryouts will continue.
The Jets had Zane Gonzalez, Brayden Narveson, Riley Patterson, Spencer Shrader, Andre Szmyt and Cade York kick for them Tuesday at MetLife Stadium. Ulbrich said they would have a second day of tryouts. The Jets could have a new kicker for Thursday’s game.
“We’re going to try and create some stress in a pressure atmosphere,” Ulbrich said. “Let the best man kick.”
Zuerlein — who has missed six field goals and an extra point this year — was listed on Tuesday’s injury report as “limited” because of a left knee issue. Ulbrich said he’s still here because it’s a short week and the synergy with the long snapper and holder is important. The Jets hope to build that with his potential replacement quickly.
“Now that they’re here with us,” Ulbrich said, “we’re going to rep it as many times as we can, try to create as much cohesion and ultimately pick the guy that’s the best [in the] next couple of days.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
