In what was supposed to be his comeback season, Aaron Rodgers has had a disappointing start. In the Jets’ recent dismal defeat at the hands of the Vikings, the quarterback had two touchdowns for 244 yards with 3 interceptions. Commenting on this subpar performance, Shannon Sharpe has his fingers pointed directly at the QB.
Advertisement
In one segment of First Take, analysts Sharpe, Dan Orlovsky, and Stephen A. Smith were at loggerheads while discussing the Jets’ situation.
Orlovsky started the debate by explaining that the Jets’ flawed offensive strategy against a defensive powerhouse like Minnesota contributed to the loss. However, Sharpe felt Orlovsky was tiptoeing around the subject of Rodgers and avoiding criticism for some reason.
“Hey, Stephen A. you notice how he [Dan Orlovsky] says the offense (not Aaron Rodgers)?” exclaimed Sharpe. Mentioning how Rodgers was supposed to be a messiah for the franchise, he continued, “Now I was told that they were bringing a guy in the offense (who will change things).”
Sharpe further mentioned how all the previous quarterbacks—Zach Wilson, Mike White, Joe Flacco, and Sam Darnold—were all blamed for the Jets’ failures. But now that it’s Rodgers’ turn, Orlovsky seemed to overlook it.
“No, I’m not going to let you blame it on the offense, because you didn’t blame the offense when they had those other quarterbacks. You blame the quarterback.”
Orlovsky is giving Rodgers a free pass, as argued by the former tight end. Sharpe further affirmed that Rodgers’ performance has been pathetic this season, and everyone in the league knows it.
“But you want to stay in good graces and you won’t call Aaron Rogers out, (although) he’s playing awful. You know it, everybody in New York knows it, and everybody around the NFL knows it.”
While Sharpe clearly called out his co-host for not holding Rodgers accountable, Orlovsky had a reasonable defense for his take.
A-Rod under fire
Orlovsky clarified that he has never blamed the quarterbacks and has always tried to provide “context on performances.” He further explained that for a team to dominate the Vikings, the offense has to play in a certain way, and those are the nuances he was highlighting.
He said:
“First of all, I never blamed the quarterbacks in New York. I always blamed the situation… I’m not telling anybody that Aaron has played well the past two weeks, by no means.”
Orlovsky further expressed how he feels it’s not his place to call out the Hall of Famer on national television, being a backup QB himself. He acknowledges that Rodgers is a part of the situation and Sharpe, being a Hall of Famer himself, is in a better position to call the athlete out.
Finally, Stephen A. Smith intervened to settle the matter. Jokingly referring to himself as a “veteran,” the analyst acknowledged Orlovsky’s stance but emphasized that ultimately it’s their job to “judge” after thorough research, chronicling, and measuring the metrics.
All said and done, Smith still was firm that Rodgers’ game was one of the worst he had seen. “Coming into this season with the New York Jets, we all know that Aaron Rogers was supposed to make a huge difference,” he said.
While arguing that he feels the MVP is still an upgrade over Zach Wilson, Smith continued, “He has come up flagrantly soft. That’s the worst game I’ve seen Aaron Rogers play in years yesterday. I couldn’t believe it.”
With all this buzz in the air, one thing is clear: fans and analysts alike are not happy with the four-time MVP. And whether the New York Jets can improve their 2-3 record will be determined on Tuesday when they face the Buffalo Bills.
