Aaron Rodgers is back in the Big Apple and appears ready to lead the Jets to the promised land. There is a growing hope and enthusiasm among the Jets faithful that the playoff drought will finally come to an end; however, one cannot simply ignore the concerns about A-Rod’s recovery and the possibility of his injury recurring.
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During the recent episode of Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio stressed that if the Jets push A-Rod too much, they might end up in a similar situation as last year—without a QB after just four snaps. He claimed that if a player tears his ACL in one leg, there is a chance that he might suffer a similar injury in the other leg, and the chances of that happening increase for a mobile QB like Rodgers.
While a player like Rodgers might feel he can still rely on his agility to escape the pocket, at the age of 40, there are severe risks of soft-tissue injuries. If he overworks his body, he might see the repercussions, a way of his body telling him to slow down. He might be able to run and exert those old muscles, but it will cost him, similar to what we saw last year.
Florio feels that given the 4-time MVP’s propensity to use his legs, it will be difficult to stay within the limitations of his body, which would help him decrease his chances of getting injured again. He cites the old calf injury that made Aaron play as a pocket passer, and Mike believes the Jets should adopt a strategy to reduce the chances of A-Rod getting injured yet again.
“Remember the year that he had a calf injury that he played through, he became a different QB, pocket guy. If I’m the Jets, one of the ways I reduce my concern is to apply the brakes to Aaron Rodgers doing anything other than staying in the pocket,” Florio argued. “So if you are Aaron Rodgers, just drop back, get rid of the ball before the walls close in or hit the deck, throw it away, and live to see another day.”
Nevertheless, there are also concerns about what some consider the real culprit of Rodgers’ injury last year—the turf field of MetLife Stadium. It has shortened players’ careers and with Rodgers already at 40, any new injury could spell the end of his career.
Will Artificial Turf Play a Role in Aaron Rodgers’ Comeback?
After Aaron Rodgers tore his ACL in the first game at the MetLife Stadium, it ignited a debate about the use of Astroturf for football versus natural grass, which is widely used in many other stadiums and during soccer games.
Sportswriter Charean Williams, who appeared on Pro Football Talk, stated that A-Rod played on grass at Lambeau Field. So he isn’t accustomed to playing on hard surfaces like the artificial turf, which could make it harder for him to perform at MetLife Field.
Williams also asserted that there are more injuries on Artificial Turf than on natural grass. Playing on turf is generally more challenging and stressful, especially for players like Rodgers, Tyron Smith, and Mike Williams, who all have a history of injuries.
As per Sporting News, since 2020, besides A-Rod, all these players have suffered major injuries at the MetLife Stadium — Nick Bosa (ACL tear), Solomon Thomas (ACL tear), Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle sprain), Raheem Mostert (MCL tear), Sterling Shepard (ACL tear), Wan’Dale Robinson (ACL tear), Blake Martinez (Achilles tear), Shane Lemieux (patellar tendon tear), Jabrill Peppers (ACL tear), Kyle Fuller (ACL tear).
Yet, the owners refuse to get rid of the turf, knowing very well that it causes more injuries. Even the NFLPA has stated that since artificial turf has less give than grass, any impact on the body is much harder.
