It wasn’t a good day for the Jets fanbase, as Aaron Rodgers’s return to the field didn’t go as anticipated. However, for lifelong fans of the club like Adam Sandler, this kind of loss and disappointment is unfortunately all too familiar.
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The Hollywood comedic legend, known for hits like Happy Gilmore, The Longest Yard, and Waterboy, appeared as a guest on the first episode of ManningCast this Monday. After the introduction, in true Sandler fashion, the comic actor playfully remarked that he has been supporting the Jets since 1969 when he was just three years old.
This was also the year the club won its first Super Bowl, and Sandler felt it would be this way every year. His father also promised him more of these glory days if he stuck with the Jets. But more than 50 years later, he can’t hide his pain anymore, having watched his team face defeat at every stage year after year.
Sandler said:
“Well (in) 1969, I was as happy as could be. I was a three-year-old boy. I was thinking this could be something that goes on year after year. I was promised that from my dad: stick with the Jets, he said. And now look at us: my heart hurts, fellas.”
However, for the 2024 season, Sandler is optimistic and feeling hopeful again with Rodgers back, standing out on the field, moving comfortably, and making plays.
But if the QB doesn’t make it through the season or fails to live up to the hype, the Jets can consider asking Sandler to take some snaps, given his childhood experience as a QB. How effective would he be? Based on his childhood story, probably not much.
Sandler played quarterback as a child
During the same segment of the ManningCast, Adam revealed that he used to play as a QB for two seasons in Pop Warner Football when he was 11 and 12.
He pointed out that he was great for his age group, but unlike him, the other kids on his team grew bigger. “I was a great QB for a 11 or 12 years old and then around 13, everyone started getting big,” he recalled.
He also recounted an incident where a kid speared him, bruising his wrist and elbow, which left him discouraged from playing the sport again. Adam decided that football wasn’t for him and switched to comedy.
Previously, during an appearance on the New Heights show, Sandler mentioned that his involvement in sports wasn’t limited to football. He was also a pitcher in baseball, which was his first love. However, Ken Stillman, the Pop Warner coach, persuaded him and his parents to try football as a QB after recognizing his potential, and he loved every moment of it.
That said, the comic actor was once again left disappointed as the Jets fell short against the reigning NFC champions, the San Francisco 49ers. The Green Gang lost 32-19, struggling on both sides of the ball.
Their run game never took off, and they couldn’t contain the Niners’ ground attack—even without Christian McCaffrey in the lineup. Rodgers finished the game with just 167 passing yards, throwing a TD and an interception before being replaced by Tyrod Taylor.
