Rex Ryan believes Aaron Rodgers-led Jets will "kick a**" in 2023 despite pushback on HBO's Hard Knocks
ESPN NFL analyst Rex Ryan believes Aaron Rodgers’ performance in 2023 won’t be affected by Hard Knocks.
Ryan knows a thing or two about HBO’s reality sports documentary program. He was the head coach when the New York Jets were featured in the show’s 2010 edition.
However, he recently told the New York Post:
"No coach wants to do Hard Knocks. Nobody wants to do it."
But having several cameras at training camp didn’t turn out to be a distraction for the 2010 Jets. Buddy Ryan’s son led the squad to an 11-5 regular season record and reached the AFC Championship Game, only to lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That season was the last time New York’s AFC team made the playoffs.
Thirteen years later, the Jets will be the subject of Hard Knocks again. Aside from not having the right to decline based on the program’s criteria for featured teams, getting Rodgers made them the perfect protagonists.
While Hard Knocks was rammed into the Jets’ throats, Ryan believes Aaron Rodgers will continue to be an elite player because of his confidence.
Andrew Marchand shared in his column with The Post:
“I think Aaron Rodgers is going to be freaking great. Aaron Rodgers is extremely confident in himself. Yeah, he’s different, but so what? He embraces it. He ain’t a guy that is going to run from anything. He could care less. He’s going to be him, and I think that’s great. I think people will enjoy it.”
The 19-season NFL veteran is coming off arguably his worst year as a starting quarterback. He finished with 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 17 games for the Green Bay Packers last season. His 91.1 passer rating is also a career low.
He comes to a team with immense talent on offense. Aside from playing with former Packers teammates Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, they also have Mecole Hardman, Breece Hall, and Garrett Wilson.
Aaron Rodgers isn’t overthinking about Hard Knocks
The four-time NFL Most Valuable player addressed Hard Knocks’ possibility while competing in the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe.
He said in an ambush interview with KPIX CBS News Bay Area:
“I understand the appeal with us. Obviously, there’s a lot of eyes on me, a lot of eyes on our team, a lot of expectations for our squad. They forced it down our throats, and we have to deal with it.”
The Jets finished at 7-10 last year, extending their playoff drought to 12 seasons. They were qualified for Hard Knocks because Robert Saleh remained head coach and hadn’t made the playoffs in the previous two seasons.
They were last featured in 2010, beyond the ten-year gap before teams could become the show’s subjects again.
The long-suffering franchise hopes that trading for Rodgers one day before the 2023 NFL Draft will help turn their fortunes around.