Robert Saleh says any perceived problems with Aaron Rodgers’ cadence and the New York Jets’ offense can be ignored. He also insists there are no mixed signals.
The coach was short with his answers on Wednesday when asked if he and his quarterback had talked about Rodgers’ calls at the line of scrimmage. This topic has become important after a tough loss to Denver last Sunday, where there were many mental mistakes on offense.
“There is no cadence issue,” Saleh said. “There never was a cadence issue. That was created.”
This means Saleh thinks the situation may have been exaggerated by the media and some fans, who might have misunderstood his comments after the game.
The Jets were penalized 15 times against the Broncos, with 13 accepted — including five false starts by the offense. When asked what needs to change to reduce these mental errors, Saleh said, “We’ve got to figure it out. Whether or not we’re good enough or ready to handle all the cadence.
Cadence had not been an issue all camp. Felt like our operation had been operating pretty good. Obviously, today, it took a major step back.”
Rodgers, in his 20th NFL season, has used his cadence to draw defenses offside throughout his career. He has 18 touchdown passes on such “free plays,” including one against San Francisco this season.
So, the 40-year-old quarterback was surprised when a reporter told him after the game that Saleh said the offense could “dial back cadence” to reduce some of the Jets’ pre-snap penalties.
“That’s one way to do it,” Rodgers said. “The other way is to hold them accountable. We haven’t had an issue. … It’s been a weapon. We use it every day in practice. We rarely have a false start, and to have five today, it seemed like, four or five, it seems like an outlier. I don’t know if we need to make mass changes based on kind of an outlier game.”
When asked on Monday to explain his comments, Saleh stressed that the Jets will “always push the envelope with cadence” and that he was referring to the whole offense.
“Getting in and out of the huddle, getting to the line of scrimmage, there’s a communication that’s being had,” Saleh said Monday. “Those are all things that we can continue to look at and clean up. But from a cadence standpoint, that’s part of what makes us who we are and we’re going to continue to always push the envelope on that.”
On Tuesday, Rodgers appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” and was asked about the growing “controversy” surrounding his cadence.
“I think the question may have been posed in a way that might not have been exactly what was said,” Rodgers said, referring to Saleh’s comments after the game. “Listen, I’ve used my cadence my entire career.
Everything we do in the game, we do in practice. And that’s why I said after the game that it felt like, I used the word ‘outlier,’ maybe a better word is ‘anomaly.’”
Rodgers was set to talk to reporters again in London on Friday ahead of the Jets’ game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
There have also been questions about the relationship between Rodgers and Saleh, especially after their awkward sideline hug during New York’s win over New England on Sept. 19 became a big topic online.
“Aaron and I are fantastic,” Saleh insisted Wednesday. “Love the guy.” Saleh had to address other issues as well.
Wide receiver Garrett Wilson went viral on Tuesday when he said in an interview with ESPN Radio’s Bart Scott that the Jets don’t “do a lot of different stuff” on offense like many other teams.
He mentioned that New York is still trying to find its identity on offense and that his “route tree hasn’t been what it has been the last two years.”
Wilson later mentioned on social media that he was just answering a “strung out question” about offensive identity from Scott, who referenced the Ravens and running back Derrick Henry as examples.
“I’m just glad he added context to the quote,” Saleh said when asked about Wilson’s remarks. When the coach was asked about Wilson’s claim that his “route tree” has changed, a serious Saleh replied, “I’m not going to address it.”
