Aaron Rodgers says this year’s training camp has been one of the most challenging of his career.
During his media availability, the New York Jets’ star quarterback spoke about his experience with this year’s training camp and its difficulty level compared to other years.
“I would say the camp is much harder this year, and maybe the hardest in the last seven or eight years of my career. I knew that I had a little insight coming into camp that it’s what Robert [Saleh] wanted to do. So I think it’s been good for us,” said Rodgers.
“You know, there are many different schools of thought, and there are always people you can scapegoat regarding injuries and different things. But I think some of the older guys enjoy the, to steal a coaching word, the callous part of training camp where you’re kind of grinding… 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. I think we were somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 more reps at this point of camp than last year. It feels like it, but it’s good. I think it will allow us to maybe be a little more ready.”
Regarding his level of readiness, Rodgers said he “feels good” and mentioned that he is good with whatever decision head coach Robert Saleh makes. He also spoke about how he has got himself to a good position before the season.
“I feel like I’ve done different things throughout camp as far as you know, roll outs and roll out and pulling up, getting out of the pocket and making plays, throwing back across my body upon faking, actually extending plays and getting some yards. So I feel like I’ve done a lot and haven’t taken a hit.”
As a longtime NFL player, it should be no surprise that Rodgers feels ready without the preseason. He understands what level he must reach to succeed and has worked hard to get there this offseason.
Now, Rodgers must ensure that the rest of his offensive unit is at that same level. How the unit looks in Wednesday’s joint practice against the Giants will determine whether or not some or most of the starters play in Saturday’s preseason game.
