Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner’s already caught a lot of things in his still-budding football career. The reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year nabbed two interceptions, 20 pass breakups, and first-team All-Pro honors last season.
But apparently, the 22-year-old New York Jets cornerback never caught a movie featuring 2000s starlet Jessica Alba. Nor did he even know who she was, per this New York Post piece from Ryan Glasspiegel.
Jets’ Sauce Gardner Gifted Custom Jessica Alba Cleats
This fact, of course, came to light recently when Gardner attended a New York Knicks playoff game with his newly appointed signal-caller, Aaron Rodgers. Gardner revealed in a later interview released by the Jets that Rodgers teased him for not recognizing Alba.
“He was just picking on me a little bit for being young. You know, like, we (were) getting seated, and he was like, ‘We’re about to sit by Jessica Alba.’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know who that is,'” Gardner said. “And he just looked at me like I was crazy.”
Gardner can be forgiven, to some extent, for not recognizing Alba. The talented cover man was born in the year 2000. Among Alba’s most famous features are 2003’s “Honey” and a pair of 2005 offerings, “Fantastic Four” and “Sin City.” Gardner was a little more than a toddler when those movies came out.
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But Alba, nonetheless, is a very recognizable name in her field. And she, too, got in on the fun when this story came to light.
“Lol,” Alba tweeted.“I totally see how this kid Sauce got his name, he said to my girl [actress Lizzy Mathis] ‘How can I get caught up when I’m the catch.’”
But perhaps the coup de grace to emerge from all of this came very recently, when popular shoe artist Mike Jordan gifted Gardner a custom pair of cleats adorned with two of Alba’s most popular characters — “Honey,” the aforementioned title character from the 2003 offering and “Storm” from ’05’s “Fantastic Four.”
“I wanted to do something fun,” Jordan told TMZ. “I hope Jessica likes them too.”
Is this little more than fun, innocuous offseason fodder? Not really. But it is illuminating on a few different counts.
First, just how long ago 2005 was. Fantastic Four was a popular summer blockbuster upon its release. But that was nearly 20 years ago. It’s approaching relic status to the younger generation.
Secondly, the age difference between Gardner and Rodgers. The 39-year-old signal-caller was the same age as Gardner is now when Fantastic Four came out. The then-tyke was probably more interested in “The Fairly OddParents” and things of that ilk.
But despite their generational difference, Rodgers and Gardner are singularly focused on clinching New York’s first playoff bid since 2010…a staggering 13 years in its own right.