The first episode of “One Jets Drive,” the New York Jets’ series that takes a look at their training camp, features newly acquired quarterback Aaron Rodgers giving a motivational speech to his teammates.
Rodgers, the four-time MVP and winner of Super Bowl XLV, is tasked with leading a talented – but relatively young – Jets team into battle with greater pressure (both internal and external) than ever before.
“Hey, we have one goal and that is to win a championship this year, so everything we do from this point until February is intentional. It’s not from the heart, okay?” says the former MVP.
“I want that mindset, when you go out, well, think about what it takes. What are you willing to give up to become champion this year?
“So it’s going to take sacrifice, staying together, sometimes a little extra work. Stay in touch, stay connected, be close.
Aaron Rodgers looks set to rise to the challenges he faces as he begins his tenure with the Jets
Rodgers appeared several times on the series ‘One Jets Drive’ behind the scenes of the Jets
After what Rodgers described as a “whirlwind” transition to NYC, he now looks poised to lead the Jets into a season where the pressure and expectations are now higher than ever.
“The last thing I’ll say is when you go there, okay, this Jets thing we have – this decal, these letters – it’s not going to stay in the facility. This one travels with us.
“We are out there, representing ourselves, our teammates and the organization. Let’s do it the right way.’
The New York Jets have arguably the highest expectations the franchise has had since 2011 – following a surprise run to the AFC Championship.
The season before, they seemed to fall just one point short in the playoffs. Their off-season takeover of Rodgers seems to have fixed that, as many believe they can go deep in January.
“It’s been a long time since I was this excited,” Rodgers admits. ‘There are many reasons for this, but first of all there is a lot to achieve this year. To talk about being one of those teams, now we have to go out and put it together and do it for 17 regular season weeks and then do it in the playoffs.”
“The past few months have certainly been a whirlwind,” he recalls. “After I declared I wanted to play for the Jets, there was a long wait, so I was just training, hanging out, waiting for things to happen. And once it happened, it happened quickly.’
The veteran quarterback is just getting used to his new surroundings — he’s seen himself shopping, watching Broadway shows, and attending Rangers hockey playoff games.
“Everything is new — it’s like the first day of school when you’re the new kid from out of town,” says Rodgers. “I used to be a lot — we moved around a lot growing up — and you have to make new friends, you have to meet a lot of people, you have to figure out exactly who you want to be too.
Rodgers, who was seen on the sidelines of New York’s opening preseason game, says “it’s been a while since I’ve been this excited” and is aiming for a championship with the Jets
“And it’s exciting, so definitely a lot of off-season contemplation — about my life, my career, what I want to move forward, who I want to move forward.”
As for his transition to the field, Rodgers said he wants to set the tone early for the upcoming campaign.
“We want to start the season quickly – we have a tough early schedule – two division games in the first four, luckily I think three of those are at home,” he says.
“But we have to start fast in the first quarter of the season… we have to find a way to get a little bit better every day. I like our chances, but we’re going to have a lot of fun, I can promise you that.’
Rodgers says he hopes to start the season off right as they face a tough schedule
Rodgers says as his career comes to a close he looks forward to reassuring himself that he can still play at a high level and challenge for titles.
“As you get older you realize the only person you have to prove anything to is yourself, so I’m just excited about setting high expectations for myself this year and then going out there and proving I can live up to them.”
“There’s a lot of noise around us – obviously my trade was a big story in the off-season.
“A lot of people talk about the New York Jets and that’s exciting, that’s the way you want it. You want expectations to be as high as possible.’