The football gods had their first chance to remind everyone how cruel they have been for the last five decades or so to the Jets and their fans.
The cruel football gods rested their starters on Saturday night.
That sound you might have heard at MetLife Stadium at around 6:48 p.m., after Aaron Rodgers, a 32-24 winner, escaped unscathed from the third and final preseason game, against the Giants, was an entire fan base exhaling.
And exulting. And imagining the grand possibilities with Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback:
“I think we’re ready,” Rodgers said.
He is a clear and present danger to the rest of the AFC East.
“Can’t wait for the season,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers (5-for-8, 37 yards, 1 TD, 118.2 rating) played two series against Wink Martindale’s Giants reserves, and punctuated the second series with the kind of Hall of Fame pass that he has always been able to throw, a 14-yard touchdown to Garrett Wilson against a helpless Geman Green in the left side of the end zone. Green may be an undrafted free-agent rookie out of Michigan, but Sauce Gardner would have had trouble barring that pass away.
Rodgers didn’t hit his right hand on anyone’s helmet. He didn’t suffer turf toe trotting to the sidelines. He didn’t second-guess the decision, made in concert with Robert Saleh, to tempt fate in a dress rehearsal that meant nothing on the scoreboard, but something to him and his head coach.
Asked if he had accomplished what he had hoped to accomplish, Rodgers said: “Yeah, got in, didn’t get hurt, scored … good night.”
Risk rested its starters against reward on Saturday night.
Aaron Rodgers exited safe and sound.
The Aaron Rodgers Era will officially begin as scheduled on 9/11 against the Bills at a hyperventilating JetLife Stadium.
Just because Saleh doesn’t think it is prudent to coach scared didn’t mean that long-suffering Jets fans couldn’t watch scared.
Rodgers, operating behind four of his presumptive offensive line starters, with left tackle Duane Brown due back for the regular-season opener, trotted out to a nice ovation and got the ball out of his hands on his first play from scrimmage quicker than you can say Gutekunst and to Wilson for 10 yards.
“There’s always some butterflies when you step out there for the first time,” Rodgers said, “but I loosened up pretty good when I got the ovation when I took the field. That was a special moment to have that kind of support.”
He got rid of the ball, with Jihad Ward and Dane Belton in his face, for a 14-yard completion to Tyler Conklin, but a blindside block by Randall Cobb negated it. On third-and-long, under pressure from Isaiah Simmons, Rodgers was flushed right and threw the ball away as he was stumbling, thanks to Oshane Ximines nipping at his heels.
“It was good to show that he’s still has mobility, he still has legs,” Saleh said. “He still has plenty of movement to be able to get out of the pocket and create off schedule.”
On his second series, Rodgers threw high across the middle for C.J. Uzomah before he got a 22-yard pass interference call against Amani Oruwariye while targeting Wilson deep down the right sideline.
Ward, following a 10-yard flip to Mecole Hardman, had something presumably not about “Hard Knocks” to say up close and personal to Rodgers after bumping him. And Rodgers proceeded to throw that Hall of Fame pass to his new Davante Adams.
“I kinda bumped him too,” Rodgers said with an impish grin. “Wait for ‘Hard Knocks.’ ”
Rodgers happily backpedaled a few yards in celebration before rushing into the massive arms of Mekhi Becton Sr. and then receiving pats on the helmet on the sideline.
“I made a lot of throws like that over the years,” Rodgers said. “The DB in that situation I’d just waiting for him to put his hands up, … but [Wilson] naturally creates a lot of separation so he makes it pretty easy to throw to.”
That was all Saleh needed to see, and all Rodgers should have needed to remember what it feels like to be the man in the arena against predators who don’t wear Jets uniforms.
“And as you saw tonight, guys hadn’t seen me play, that know that I got some fire left in me,” Rodgers said. “I’m gonna bring that every single week.”
When his night was done, Rodgers resumed his player-coach role on the sidelines as Zach Wilson’s personal tutor and big brother.
The fans in the black No. 8 Rodgers jerseys and the green No. 8 Rodgers jerseys and the white No. 8 Rodgers jerseys walked out of the stadium tall and proud and dreaming The Possible Dream.
An ‘A’ for A-Rod.
Bring on the Bills. Bring on the season.
