Sep 13, 20235 min read

Rotten Reality

From celebration and hype, to devastation and heartbreak.

Lately, I have pointed out all of the traits of positivity that comes from sports. For those at MetLife Stadium on Monday night, and Jets' fans around the country- it was the opposite of positive. Rarely have I ever seen the level of excitement and hype pack a stadium just for it all to turn to terror within in minutes. MetLife's decibels sounded off into complete silence.

Aaron Rodgers went down on his fourth snap, just 75 seconds into the game against Buffalo. It was the last down of his season, but hopefully not the last down of his illustrious career. Rodgers officially tore his Achilles tendon, placing him on IR to miss the remainder of the season. Absolutely gutting for Aaron, the Jets, and the NFL.

I started my MNF coverage just prior to warmups. I was able to see the Jets' fans begin to pile into the stadium. The excitement, good vibes; and pure joy they had as they began their experience of what they hoped would be a culture altering season in New York. All for it to come crashing down before even takin' full flight.

I am not kiddin' when I describe the vibes in MetLife leadin' up to the first drive. The place was POPPIN' with high voltage. When AR8 came out the tunnel runnin' with the American flag, on 9/11, it brought me back to the Mike Piazza moment. From a goosebumps and independence feelin', type of take back. The vibes were much different in this moment, it was to bring in a new joy rather than forget of a travesty. Hear the decibels as Aaron Rodgers made himself known to the masses at MetLife and beyond:

Unreal atmosphere, those poor suckas had know idea, man. Rodgers took the pop in the calf like a beast, gettin' up and trying to resume play like it didn't happen. Unfortunately our brain and grit can't control our bodies. Checkout the moment Aaron and the world knew:

Once you see that pop, it's a no brainer. Tearing an Achilles tendon is one of the most devastating injuries for athletes. The Achilles tendon connects the muscles in the back of the calf to the heel. The tendon allows you to push off. If you want to run, to jump, to push your foot and ankle down, take a ballerina position, explode out of the gate. It is pivotal for high level mobility.

That's a random scan, not Aaron's, but that's the tendon. Turning 40 in December, Rodgers is set a brutal deck of cards. I am not a fan of the cat from a personality standpoint, but I feel bad for the deck he was dealt, with this injury. It would be devastating for such an illustrious career to end in this tone, I sense that Aaron already made his decision on returning or not, like c'mon. A-Rodge wont end on this note. Rodgers isn't a normal 39 year old man. Athletes are simply different beasts than the normal human. Rather it's a Peyton Manning/Aaron Rodgers or a Bo Jackson/Aaron Donald: they are simply a special breed. I don't doubt Rodgers will come back. He is guaranteed $37Ms this season, and $75Ms through 2024 when the extension is up. Rodgers has nothing to lose. Pro athletes have the best options and resources for medicine; rehab; and surgeons. It's all up to Rodgers. Hopefully he stays with the team during his rehab and helps coach, Zach Wilson. That would reflect on his character.

The injury struck heartache to Jets' fans; Jets' players; and those across the league. Jets' wide-receiver Garrett Wilson, who was a sure-fire bet to be a breakout player of the year candidate, had the injury news hit hard:

Hopefully we don't say "what could have been", just yet regarding the Rodgers and Wilson connection in the air. Many players across the league immediately pointed blame towards the MetLife turf. I get it. I am on the same side of the table most cases to none. Turf doesn't have as much effect on an Achilles tear than ankle and below- but we need grass on every field that's the bottom line. Eagles cornerback, Darius Slay, has a strong opinion on it too:

Roger Goodell immediately responds with his normal bullsh** science crap. Such awful camouflage, when in reality he only looks at things from a pocket standpoint. The players all wanting grass over artificial turf, is enough. Who is he to say anything different? Little corporate rooted narcissist. MLS and NFL playing on artificial turf is criminal. There is a reason all World Cup games are played on grass. 17 of the 32 NFL franchises play on turf, but we try and place fear regarding injuries, on players playing in preseason? Insane. Profit over people. The American way. NFL is simply more worried about money than anything else, including the players who fill the pockets.

The conditional pick included in the Packers/Jets trade, will now remain a second and not be a first rounder due to Rodgers not playing in 65% of the snaps this season. Outside of that, pure rot. SportsLine predicts that the Jets playoff chances without Rodgers goes from 60% to 5%. Their season is now back in the hands of Zach Wilson. Wilson had moments in the comeback win on Monday. Zach remained calm; cool; and collected on the drive to tie the game. Something that Saleh and his staff need to build off. Wilson still had some head scratching moments, as he damn near gave Peyton Manning an aneurysm:

Zach Wilson now has a lot of pressure on his shoulders with the hype that came with this season in Jersey. Jets still have a top tier defense, who made a statement against the Bills in the comeback. Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook are going to need to stay healthy as they should be considered pillars for any Jets' playoff hopes.

The injury sucks. Aaron Rodgers' future is in the air. I don't wish for him to end on this note. I have seen some unreal comebacks from Kobe; Edge; and Alex Smith. Aaron just needs that Kobe mindset. Kobe had amazing words of aspiration after being told his Achilles was torn:

Hopefully Rodgers can find the will to rehab himself back under center on the grandest stage. You never want to see any player have to end on an injury, especially one that has 18 years of blood; work; and sweat given to the sport (and a sh** storm of drama). I'll be rooting for his comeback out of respect for the sport.

Rotten Reality

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