Monday Night Football returns to television screens across the United States to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice 22 years ago today. The Buffalo Bills travel across New York and down into Jersey to face the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium about 24 hours after Sunday Night Football was played there.
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No team was covered like the Jets this offseason. They saw their talented young defense and took a Barry Bonds McCovey Cove hack at Aaron Rodgers, connecting with a 110+ exit velocity. But Buffalo has been the consistent entity in the AFC East for the past half-decade. Could the Jets recapture the throne for the first time since 2002?
The Anticipated Debut of Aaron Rodgers
It felt like ages before the Jets and Green Bay Packers decided upon the inevitable trade for Rodgers. But once compensation was sorted, the wheels were put into motion.
Allen Lazard and Nathaniel Hackett were already brought on board prior to the trade. But unlike Denver the year prior, getting Rodgers’ play-caller worked in 2023. Naturally, Randall Cobb followed Rodgers to New York.
Unless Rodgers tells us, it’s impossible to know whether the exploratory nature of his offseasons or the change of scenery has been the catalyst for his new outlook. Nevertheless, it’s clear that he’s in a great headspace. He’s even taken young Zach Wilson under his wing. A mentorship role 12 months ago felt like the last thing on his mind.
But more than anything, Rodgers seems at peace outwardly. And having both new views and old friends in his corner is a great mix. Add in a talented defense and a young budding superstar in Garrett Wilson, and this Jets team could be a lot of fun.
Earlier Packers rosters had this sort of offensive weaponry, but it’s been a while since Rodgers had multiple high-end options like this. Although last season wasn’t his best, he won MVP awards in each of the prior two seasons, and Hackett was the play-caller then, too.
Can Josh Allen Follow His Own Advice?
“There’s a lot of times last year, just looking back at film, that I was careless with the football, careless with my body, and at the end of the day, availability is the best ability,” Allen said in April. “I know this sounds crazy, but I’m getting older. I can’t continue to do this. Over the course of my career, I’m going to have to learn to adapt and change.”
It’s incredibly easy to sit back and reflect on these things in April. But when 60,000 fans are screaming in the stadium in a Monday Night Football setting, can that film study and availability talk override the competitive nature of the player?
Josh Allen has done this his entire life. He has always been bigger, stronger, and sometimes faster than whoever is trying to tackle him. His arm can launch passes “over them mountains.” Those physical gifts got him here.
But he’s also correct. He can’t sustain that type of style. Availability is the best ability. Picking and choosing the right time to lower a shoulder or elevate over a defender is what will turn a potential 10-year career into one that lasts 15 or more. And the spiral downward happens fast. Ask Cam Newton.
It’s not one hit that changes most careers. An accumulation of contact is what shortens the career lifespan. It’s why running backs don’t last. And that punishment adds up. Minor injuries add up.
Situationally, we should continue seeing Allen’s theatrics. But 1st-and-10 in the first quarter of tonight’s game is not the time or place. Learn to slide. Learn to avoid unnecessary contact. Learn to live for the next down instead of looking at each one as if it’s your last.
As Robert Downey Jr. said in Tropic Thunder, “SURVIVE!”
MetLife Field Went to Turf… Is it Better?
Players do not like synthetic turf. However, because Metlife Stadium hosts two NFL teams, more football elsewhere, and is a heavily used concert venue, keeping the old turf plush and the playing surface consistent became impossible.
Joe Burrow, Adrian Peterson, Robert Griffin III, and Chase Young all suffered ACL tears on that field. Alex Smith’s gruesome leg injury occurred on the grounds. And countless others have seen their NFL careers put on hold because of that awful playing surface.
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Baltimore Ravens CB Kyle Fuller tore his ACL on the old turf, and John Harbaugh was direct in his criticism of the playing surface after the game.
“Everybody in this league should do everything they can to put the best surface out there,” Harbaugh said after that game. “How much is invested in the players who go out there and play, and our league really is a player-driven league, and we want those guys to have the best of the best, especially surfaces to play on. … That turf was matted down, it was packed down, it was a little tight.”
Grass is better than turf, but it’s expensive to maintain, and the cheapest bidder will almost always win out when it comes to cost-cutting to maximize profits. However, reviews of the new field have been overwhelmingly positive.
FieldTurf Core system is the first multilayer dual-polymer monofilament fiber. That’s gibberish to 99.9% of people, so we’ll just say it’s supposed to be the best in the world right now.
Only time will tell if it holds up.