As the Giants and Jets wrapped up their final joint practice session this Wednesday, it was CB Sauce Gardner who had the last laugh. Things got downright brutal for Daniel Jones and his crew as they struggled against both sides of the Jets’ game. Even backup QB Tyrod Taylor managed to score a touchdown by connecting with TE Jeremy Ruckert on a deep pass, prompting Gardner to celebrate in his own unique fashion.
Advertisement
The two-time First-Team All-Pro strolled onto the field, waving goodbye to their MetLife Stadium co-tenants. And why wouldn’t he? The Jets dominated, with QB Aaron Rodgers throwing four touchdowns and nearly adding another, only for Jeremy Ruckert to drop the ball in the end zone.
This is embarrassing
Giants were dominated and humiliated todaypic.twitter.com/XuSE1t8td9
— Marshall Green (@MarshallGreen_) August 21, 2024
Naturally, the clip quickly made the rounds on social media, highlighting Gardner’s trash-talking and increasing anticipation for the two teams’ upcoming final preseason game this week.
Jets fans also couldn’t get enough of Gardner’s antics, flooding social media with memes, comments, and even a few jabs at Jones, who struggled to maintain his footing.
On the flip side, Giants fans pointed out that it was just a practice session and didn’t carry much significance.
Jets are one Rodgers injury away for being like last year. Calm down dude
— Antonio (@AvDAvD22) August 21, 2024
It doesn’t mean anything in particular given its training camp, but this shouldn’t be surprising. The Jets are a better team.
— The Ultimate Lineup (@TheUltLineup_) August 21, 2024
Embarrassing ?? Is practice calm down
— J3 (@heavensent7_) August 21, 2024
This is objectively incorrect. Offense played relatively well throughout the day. Defense struggled.
— Giants Agenda (@GiantsAgenda) August 21, 2024
That said, even after the game, Gardner stole the spotlight by struggling to find words for his opposing quarterback.
Gardner struggles to describe Daniel Jones’ performance
During a post-practice press conference, Gardner faced many questions about Daniel Jones. However, unlike his usual confident self, the star cornerback struggled to find the right words to describe Jones’ performance during the joint session, as if he was trying to downplay it. He hesitated before finally saying,
“Uh, he’s uh, he’s uh, he’s uh good quarterback, you feel me?”
Gardner then went on to recount a moment where he almost snagged an interception from the Giants quarterback:
“I thought I was about to pick him off today. I had a little cloud rep, he had looked at the last minute to try to throw the checkdown to Wan’Dale (Robinson). I thought I had the pick, but he kept it.”
Despite missing out on the interception, the Jets’ QB found the session extremely competitive and intense.
“It was very competitive, and it was great. I had fun out there today,” he added with a grin.
#Jets CB Sauce Gardner was asked for his opinion on practicing against Daniel Jones, and let’s just say he struggled to find the right words.pic.twitter.com/NiBeRXGzOF
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 21, 2024
Gardner also took a moment to praise rookie wideout Malik Nabers, who had impressed him with his agility and ability to create separation from defenders, even predicting that the rookie out of LSU would make a name for himself in the NFL.
“He’s nice… He’s very sudden when it comes to getting in and out of his breaks… He’s gonna be a pretty good player.”
That said, Gardner’s candid comments highlighted not only the intensity of the practice but also the respect between rivals—even if finding the right words wasn’t quite easy.
