After Aaron Rodgers’ devastating Achilles tear on just his first drive as a New York Jet, you may be thinking, “ Wow, that’s probably the first time one of the greatest QBs of all time suffered a season ending injury less than halfway through the first quarter of their first game of the season playing for an AFC East team that has realistic Super Bowl expectations coming off a disappointing conclusion to the previous season.”
If you’re one of the many people who likely had that line of thinking, you’d be wrong. I can’t blame you for it, it was 15 years ago (holy shit, it’s really been 15 years) and it probably slipped your mind. That’s why I write the articles and you read them. My very useful and impressive life skill of Tom Brady knowledge knows no bounds.
The Jets finished 7-10 last year, but concluded the season with 6 straight losses. They had a solid team with upstart talent that choked down the stretch, due largely in part to poor play from Zach “the literal motherfucker” Wilson. With the addition of a bonafide superstar QB in Rodgers, the Jets were primed to finally escape their years of misery and make a run. The rug was swiftly pulled out from under them pretty much as soon as they hit the field with one little Achilles tear. Now they’re back to the same issue as last year: can Zach Wilson take the next step and lead the team into the playoffs? And although he looked shaky last night, he was still able to help pull out a W in a week where he wasn’t even supposed to play, in a game that ended on a thrilling overtime punt return. That’s New York’s silver lining.
You really hate to see an injury like this. It derails an exciting storyline for this season, and seeing players get hurt is never fun. I hope Rodgers has a speedy recovery and that he can handle this setback well.
However…
It’s unbelievable comedic timing. I mean, the Jets just finished up being featured on Hard Knocks for weeks leading up to the season, and it felt like every 3 minutes or so someone in the organization couldn’t keep it in their pants talking about how unbelievable Rodgers (or “8”, as he was frequently referred to as) is, and how all of their problems were going to be solved by his being under center. The Jets lovefest and hype train just came to an abrupt stop.
This shock is not unprecedented, though. In 2008, the New England Patriots were coming off a season in which they went 16-0 in the regular season and went to the Super Bowl, only to lose a heartbreaker to the Giants. It still haunts me to this day. Fortunately for the Pats, they weren’t losing too many major pieces and still were absolutely loaded. They were looking to buzzsaw through the league again and finish the job this time around. The sky was the limit.
That optimism lasted for less than 8 minutes of gametime. Brady was hit low by Bernard Pollard (who you’d think was a British redcoat the way he took down Patriots; he was a factor, if not the direct cause, in severely injuring Brady, Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, and Stevan Ridley). The crowd went silent. Brady stayed down rolling in pain. His ACL and MCL were torn. Just like that, all that hope had dissipated.
Of course, Brady never suffered another injury like this in his career, no doubt thanks to his steadfast commitment to pliability. Rodgers probably could’ve used a little bit of the TB12 Method (not sure how/if ayahuasca can fit into the regimen).
Also, notice how Brady still completed the pass on that play for 30 yards. GOAT.
The Patriots still went 11-5 that year with Matt Cassel, but didn’t make the playoffs (which I thought was bullshit as a kid, but I digress). Although the record didn’t show it, that season was a let down. That roster with Brady would have been the clear favorite to take home the Lombardi. I think I could’ve led that roster to 9-7.
While I bet the Jets and their fans would be thrilled with 11-5 this year, there has to be immense feelings of disappointment and despair. I feel for them. All of that excitement and promise ripped from their grasps. My childhood self empathizes.
And hey, Tom Brady won the first ever unanimous MVP two seasons later, went on to win another MVP in 2017, and managed to go to six more Super Bowls, winning four. Now, those expectations would be ludicrous for anyone. As a QB in his forties, Rodgers probably isn’t gonna make all that happen, but it goes to show that there can be light at the end of the tunnel after a devastating injury like this.
I still hope the Patriots sweep the Jets, though.