Shannon Sharpe schools Aaron Rodgers’ teammate - “That’s not leadership”
The impact made by Aaron Rodgers on the New York Jets has been well documented.
His teammates are raving about his quality, while the coaching staff and the front office are thrilled to have him. Fans are excited like they've never been. His arrival has sparked a lot of hope in a franchise that has been lacking positivity over the last decade.
But while it's all in good spirits currently, everybody has to wait until the games start to see whether he'll be a true leader for the team. While his teammate Solomon Thomas has praised 'his leadership' from the time he joined the team, Shannon Sharpe thinks that Thomas needs to settle down about the quarterback.
Here's what he said on the "Undisputed Podcast:"
"That's defensive tackle Solomon Thomas already seeing the impact of Aaron Rodgers. You know, he's going to put up points and you know, he's going to play smart football.
"Solomon Thomas and I have a different view of leadership. That's not leadership - that's excitement. That's buzz created by Aaron Rodgers' caliber. You bring in a solidified Hall of Famer like Aaron Rodgers, it's going to change some things. That leadership, his knowledge, the way he plays the game. You know, he's going to put up points, yadda, yadda, yadda.
"That's not leadership. Leadership is bringing you guys out of a tough situation. You have a situation in the locker room. He steps in to handle it. You go through a rough patch during the season. He navigates you through that."
Sharpe also remembered that the quarterback isn't exactly known because of his leadership, based on some of his actions in Green Bay.
"What I've seen for him, he's not into leadership because, when things go bad, he's deflected the blame. Walking into a building is not leadership."
When will Rodgers make his Jets debut?
He will make his first start for the Jets on Monday, Sept. 11, against the Buffalo Bills.
The Monday Night Football game in Week 1 will mark the first time that he wears the Jets' green and white. The game is also expected to have a lot of tributes on the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.