It was coach Mike Tyson who informed us that everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
The Jets had a plan when they convinced Aaron Rodgers to rescue them.
They got punched in the mouth on Monday night.
Rodgers appears to have enough left in his 40-year-old arm and mind to give the Jets more than a puncher’s chance to be a contender for a change.
He can be the Savior, but he can’t save the franchise by himself.
Not against the 49ers. Not against the NFL’s elite.
Help Aaron Rodgers.
He can still sling it, alright, and he overcame the psychological hurdles of lasting more than four plays and surviving defenders knocking him to the ground again. And he moved well enough out of harm’s way when it was necessary.
“There’s no panic in him,” Saleh said. “He was a calm force on the sideline. I think last night provided a lot of closure for him with regards to finishing a game and knocking that out.
“Our offense is gonna be really good this year.”
According to the best-laid plans of mice and men named Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh, a healthy Rodgers, behind an offensive line that can keep him healthy, combined with an elite defense that can be trusted, is a formula for success.
The great ones, even as they age, figure out ways to win. Muhammad Ali rope-a-doping in Zaire against George Foreman, for example. Rodgers knows the offense as well as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady always knew theirs.
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But he can’t save the regime’s jobs standing on the sideline.
Help Aaron Rodgers.
He was standing on the sideline for 38:40 — mostly because his elite defense was served a heaping helping of humble pie by the play-calling genius of Kyle Shanahan.
“Our style of play is effort, technique and violence,” Saleh has told us since he arrived in 2021.
Violence of the lambs instead.
“We got our ass skull-drug, I’m gonna be honest with you,” Quincy Williams told The Post. “We gotta help our team win, get the ball to the offense.”
Ah the irony. For the past three seasons, the Jets defense had every right to tell the offense: “Just hold ’em.”
What, Saleh worry?
“It wasn’t for a lack of effort as much as it was for guys just trying to do too much,” he said on the mourning after. “When you play a team like San Francisco, they’ve been together eight years, they’re very precise in what they do. It’s as simple as ‘Just do your job.’ ”
Thank you Coach Belichick. Saleh was reminded that the core of his defense has been together for three years.
“It’s gonna get fixed,” Saleh said. “It’s definitely gonna get fixed. I’m not discouraged in any way.”
All Gash, No Break.
Even against this 49ers machine, with Jordan Mason playing the part of Christian McCaffrey and running through and around the Jets defense, the Jets defense never could dictate the terms of engagement.
Bryce Huff leaving in free agency for greener pastures and Haason Riddick demanding more green to end his holdout and John Franklin-Myers traded to the Broncos left the Jets getting bludgeoned on the ground and struggling to mount a heavy pass rush on Brock Purdy on the few third-and-long opportunities.
“I don’t think Brock really held it long enough for us to really have any effect,” Saleh said.
Rodgers wasn’t using it as an excuse that it was difficult to establish a rhythm because three-and-outs give the other guys more opportunities to establish theirs.
Rodgers will need Breece Hall to be Breece The Beast to give him more balance and more options in the passing game beyond Hall and Garrett Wilson. It was encouraging for him and for Saleh that Allen Lazard caught a TD pass, but TE Tyler Conklin was targeted just once and WR Mike Williams barely got on the field.
“When there’s more opportunities, there’ll be more opportunities for other players,” Saleh said.
For Saleh and Saleh alone, 0-1 this year feels better to him than 1-0 last year. Because his quarterback is Aaron Rodgers. Now go fix the defense.
And help Aaron Rodgers.
