Sauce Gardner Q&A: Get to know the Jets' All-Pro cornerback
Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner speaks to the media during a joint training camp practice with Washington at their practice facility in Florham Park, N.J., on, Aug. 8. Credit: Ed Murray
Sauce Gardner has already established himself as a top NFL cornerback. He has big individual and team goals as he enters his third season. Gardner sat down with Newsday and discussed his desire to win with the Jets and spend his entire career with the franchise.
You’ve been All-Pro twice and made two Pro Bowls. What are your goals for Year 3?
"I want to run all of that back. Pro Bowl. First-Team All-Pro. Just from an individual standpoint, I want to be in that Defensive Player of the Year talk."
Did you accomplish everything you wanted your first two seasons?
"If we’re talking individual accolades, yes. Team goals, obviously, no. Obviously not. It was two pretty decent years. I know what I can do. I know there’s still a lot of stuff that I can do that I can get better at, that I’ve been working on getting better at."
Your coaches said you’re more of a leader this year. Is that by design?
"Most definitely. You get to a point where leading by example is not enough. Sometimes when it comes to some of the good players, you got the younger guys that want to hear from them and hear their voice and see what kind of leader they are. That’s what I’ve been making sure I’m doing. I’m like 1,000 times more vocal than I was last year and the year before. That’s in the classroom, meeting room and on the field."
How good can this defense be?
"We can be very good. It’s one of those things where Coach [Jeff] Ulbrich, he’s given guys like C.J. [Mosley] the freedom to change calls if needed because it’s not always going to be the look that we think that we’re going to get. You got quarterbacks who see you in a look, so they change the play and condense the formation and stuff like that. Sometimes — we’re just playmakers — we’ll be able to keep whatever the call is and just execute. The fact that we can change certain things now is great. I’m looking forward to it."
What would it mean to you to help this franchise end its 13-year playoff drought?
"It would be incredible. It would be great. The one thing about Jets fans is they’re going to tell you how they feel. Just hearing about, ‘I’ve been a lifelong Jets fan, and we haven’t smelled the playoffs,’ and stuff like that. It’s one of those things, you get tired of hearing it. At the same time, it’s a reminder like it’s really what it is. It’s why these individuals and these fans feel that way. They pride themselves on being diehard fans, showing up every year whether it’s practice, training camps or the games. They pride themselves on just showing up and they want to see us perform at our best, as they should. It’s our job to go out there and execute."
What about the 55-year Super Bowl drought?
"It would be great. Before we do that, we’ve got to get to the playoffs first. That’s the start — just getting there."
Do you believe in speaking things like that into existence like Aaron Rodgers preaches?
"Oh yeah. I got a video that surfaced when I was in high school talking about all the things I want to do. The power of the tongue is strong. I spoke my life into existence where I’m at right now. It’s not something I’m going to change or get complacent with and just go through the motions and stuff like that. The things I want to happen, I want to speak them not just to myself but to the guys I’m going to be doing them with."
Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, right, greets quarterback Aaron Rodgers during practice at the team's training facility in Florham Park, N.J., on July 30. Credit: AP/Seth Wenig
How has Aaron changed the mindset of the team and how has he helped the defense?
"Man, he changed the mindset because he’s done it. Things that we’re trying to achieve, he’s done it already. It’s one of them things where like, he must have the formula to get far to win championships. When it comes to the defense, he told us to be more discreet with hand signals, communication and stuff like that. He’s already good enough to the point where he can see certain things and change certain things based off what he sees from the defense. When you hear him saying certain things, that’s just a no-brainer."
You’re eligible for an extension after the season. You know you’re going to get paid, right?
"It’s easy to say that, but I don’t know. I can’t think about it too much. It’s like me getting drafted. Everybody was like, 'you’re in the NFL', but at the same time I still got to be the same guy that was grinding. I just can’t change it. It’s one of those things that, still to this day, I don’t feel like I made it. Yes, I feel like I can get the things I want to get. My mom can get the things that she wants to get. It’s not to the point where I'm just like this Hollywood type guy. That’s why you see me on Twitter, I’ll be responding to the fans when they say certain things. I do understand that I can make people days. What am I losing by responding to somebody and having a conversation with somebody?"
What made you tweet in May that you want to be a Jet for life?
"First of all, I love the coaching staff that’s here. The standard that they’ve set for the players. I love the guys that I’m around, the group of guys that I’m able to be around and be able to better my game with. The fans, I love the mentality that they have. They want to win every year. They got that win mentality. Some organizations actually listen to the fans. They’re not the only ones that want to win, we want to win as well. All of those things make me want to be a Jet for life. I know you can’t have everything you want. That’s just what I want."
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
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