NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic mentioned in July that New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh would be “different” while facing a make-or-break season.
It turns out Saleh somewhat altered his handling of training-camp practices this summer, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers made it known on Tuesday he’s in favor of the coach’s strategy.
“I would say that camp is much harder this year,” Rodgers told reporters, as shared by Andy Vasquez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. “And maybe the hardest of the last seven to eight of my career. I knew that. I had a little insight coming into camp that’s what Robert wanted to do. And I think it’s been good for us.”
The Jets have endured some struggles across practices, particularly regarding the team’s offense that routinely disappointed last season after Rodgers went down with a campaign-ending torn Achilles four offensive snaps into New York’s Week 1 game.
Saleh seems to hope the extra work this summer will have his team firing on all cylinders for its regular-season opener at the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 9.
“I give Robert a lot of credit because he, from the start of the offseason, said this is going to be a tough training camp,” Rodgers explained on Tuesday. “And I think it’s been a lot of reps for the [starters]. He told me the other day we were somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 more reps at this point of camp than last year, and it feels like it, but it’s good.”
A big concern about a taxing camp is that players will either suffer injuries or enter September more banged up than normal. With that said, Rodgers dealt with multiple calf-related setbacks from the spring of 2023 through his first training camp with the Jets. It’s unclear if those issues can be linked to his Achilles injury.
“It’s been great,” Rodgers added about this year’s camp compared to what he experienced in 2023. “You talk to the older guys, not a lot of complaints from any of those guys. And the young guys don’t know any better, so it’s been good.”
Rodgers, Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas could all be shown the door by Jets owner Woody Johnson if what’s become the longest active playoff drought among the four major North American sports leagues extends beyond January 2025.
In short, Saleh may regret how he worked his players during training camp if Rodgers spends a significant portion of the upcoming season sidelined with some sort of injury.
Adam Schefter’s latest take on CeeDee Lamb saga is good news for Cowboys fans
NFL
Vikings DC responds to scathing comments from Tua Tagovailoa
Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores responded to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s recent heavy criticism where the signal-caller alluded to his former head coach being a “terrible person.”
Tagovailoa bashed the 43-year-old in a Monday interview on the “Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz,” saying that he didn’t feel he was an NFL quarterback until Mike McDaniel took over for Flores ahead of the 2022 season. “To put it in simplest terms, if you woke up every morning and I told you (that), you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong doing what you do, that you shouldn’t be here, that this guy should be here, that you haven’t earned this right, and then you have somebody else come in and tell you, ‘Dude, you are the best fit for this,'” the Alabama product said.
“How would it make you feel listening to one or the other, you see what I’m saying?” The southpaw also compared the situation with Flores to being president and having a “terrible person telling you things that you don’t want to hear or probably shouldn’t be hearing.” Miami selected Tagovailoa as the fifth overall pick in 2020 but he was benched twice in favor of veteran journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick during his rookie campaign. After a better, but still uneven 2021 campaign, Tagovailoa has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFC over the last two seasons.
He battled through numerous concussions in 2022 to finish ninth in the MVP voting and lead the league in yards gained per pass attempt (8.9), yards gained per completion (13.7) and passer rating (105.5) among other categories. Tagovailoa made his first Pro Bowl in 2023, played all 17 games and led the Dolphins to the playoffs for the second year in a row. He led the NFL with a career-best 4,624 passing yards and also set high marks in completion percentage (69.3) and touchdown passes (29). Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212M contract extension this summer. It’s fair to wonder if he would’ve ever become the player he is now under Flores, but the coach appears very willing to at least try to salvage the relationship.
Shannon Sharpe rips WNBA players for Caitlin Clark jealousy: ‘Y’all mad’
NHL
Penguins insider addresses ‘worrisome’ Sidney Crosby rumors
Over the weekend, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey noted that the situation involving superstar Sidney Crosby is now “far more worrisome” for Pittsburgh Penguins fans than it was even a couple of weeks ago as Crosby remains on track to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 of next year. For a mailbag published on Monday, Penguins insider Josh Yohe of The Athletic insisted that Crosby “is very, very, very much above chasing championships” amid whispers suggesting the captain may not be thrilled with the direction of the franchise. “This is a man of integrity and loyalty,” Yohe wrote. “Crosby is 37. He was drafted by the Penguins when he was still 17.
In other words, he’s been with the Penguins more than half of his life and literally all of his adult life. He’s been the Penguins captain for almost half of his life.” Crosby became the subject of trade rumors this past winter before the Penguins missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season and team president/general manager Kyle Dubas unofficially began a badly-needed roster rebuild. As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to have Pittsburgh at +120 betting odds to qualify for the 2024-25 playoffs. Yohe and other Penguins reporters have repeatedly said since the spring that Crosby wants to eventually retire as a one-club NHL man and that Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Penguins, is willing to pay the three-time Stanley Cup champion so he can accomplish that goal.
However, there was still no indication as of Monday afternoon that Crosby was close to putting pen to paper on any type of extension with the Penguins. With all that said, Yohe hinted that Crosby has reasons to want to stay in Pittsburgh that go beyond what happens on the ice. “We’re already dealing with a very loyal human being, someone who doesn’t care for change, almost to the point of madness,” Yohe continued. ”
Then consider that playing for a Canadian team would be unbearable for Crosby, who already has a tough time even going to dinner in his native country.” Yohe predicted that Dubas could get a 2025 first-round draft pick, a 2026 first-round choice, a “top prospect” and “a young NHL player” for Crosby if the future Hall of Famer agreed to a trade between now and the middle of September. Yohe added that “no one is talking about” the possibility that Crosby wants to play out the final year of his deal and then retire next summer. Only the people directly involved know, for sure, why Crosby hasn’t yet signed an extension many expected would be announced over a month ago. It now seems what was a “nothing-to-see-here” matter as of late July could soon become one of the more interesting NHL offseason stories in recent memory.
Damian Lillard’s latest comments reek of entitlement
NFL Quiz
The ‘Last QB to win a playoff game for each team’ quiz
Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has been one of the most dynamic players in the NFL since taking over the starting job as a rookie in 2018, racking up 21,145 total yards and154 touchdowns en route to two MVP awards. But despite the statistical success, Jackson continues to deal with the perception that he can’t win games in the postseason following a 17-10 loss to Kansas City in last season’s AFC Championship game. Jackson, who is 2-4 in the postseason, addressed that reputation on Sirius XM’s Mad Dog Radio with Adam Schein.
“I don’t really care what the critics say, because, at the end of the day, I just came off an injury the year before (2022) and we made it all the way to the AFC Championship in the new system (last year),” Jackson said. “Its nothing to be down on myself or my teammates for because we made it far.” Which brings us to today’s quiz. Jackson is undoubtedly one of the most gifted players in the NFL, but he’s still yet to beat the other top dogs at the position in the AFC playoffs. With that being said, can you name the last quarterback to win a playoff game for each NFL team? Good luck!
Former GM has wild suggestion for Steelers’, Vikings’ QB situations
NFL
Packers QB Jordan Love Receives Sobering Take From Analyst
Right now, everyone is head over heels in love with Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers, and some are even predicting they’re ready to seriously contend for a spot in the Super Bowl. A lot of this optimism is based on the way Love played late last season.
The quarterback finished the year with a flurry, which was enough to get the Packers into the playoffs after a rough start, and once there, they upset the Dallas Cowboys and nearly unseated the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round. But continued growth and success in a linear fashion isn’t always a certainty, especially given the fact that the rest of the NFC has at least somewhat improved. While he feels Love will be a good QB over time, Greg Cosell, the NFL analyst and senior producer of NFL Films, urged people to pump the brakes a bit on their expectations.
Cosell said there are sure to be some growing pains and that Love may not consistently look as good as he did last November, December and January. Can Jordan Love carry his 2023 success into 2024 for the Packers? Love was a first-round draft pick by the Packers in 2020. It was clear they were grooming him to be Aaron Rodgers’ successor, and when Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets last offseason, plenty were doubtful that Love, who had appeared in just 10 games to that point, could be productive.
Sure enough, the Packers started the year 3-6, and Love was having trouble with interceptions and his overall efficiency. But he was outstanding afterward, as he threw for 2,150 yards and 18 touchdowns against just one interception in his last eight games, six of which Green Bay won. Against the Cowboys, whose defense looked dominant at times in the regular season, he went 16 of 21 for 272 yards and three touchdowns as Green Bay built a 27-0 first-half lead and coasted to a 48-32 victory.
For Love to continue to play at an elite level, he will need some internal improvement from the Packers’ four young and promising wide receivers: Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. He will also need to be ready for opposing defenses that now have a full season of video to use to scout him and prepare for him. Cosell did note that one area Jordan Love showed growth in during the 2023 season was reading defenses prior to the snap and calling the appropriate audibles in order to ensure the play the Packers ran was successful. That type of intelligence and ability to think on his feet will serve him well moving forward.
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