Jets veteran linebacker C.J. Mosley said at points Tuesday, a practice in June felt more like a real game in September.
That is because Aaron Rodgers was at quarterback.
Rodgers was not a full participant in Tuesday’s practice, as he is still recovering from a tweaked right calf, but he did enough to raise the level of play from sleepy spring day to the feel of fall.
“It’s a different vibe,” Mosley said. “He sets the bar. He sets the expectations with his résumé, with his name and the way he approaches the game every single day.”
Rodgers’ presence can be felt all over the organization.
There were seven TV cameras at coach Robert Saleh’s press conference Tuesday, when normally there are two or three.
Rodgers did not participate in 11-on-11 drills, as the team wanted to keep players away from hitting his legs.
But during those drills he stayed engaged and pulled aside rookie receivers Jason Brownlee and Jerome Kapp to give them encouragement.
When backup quarterback Chris Streveler threw a touchdown to Michael Carter, Rodgers threw his hands over his head in celebration.
The highlights on the field for Rodgers came in a red zone seven-on-seven drill.
He found Garrett Wilson in the front corner of the end zone with a back-shoulder throw.
Then, he threw a strike across the middle for a touchdown to Brownlee.
“He’s just got tremendous vision,” Saleh said before the practice. “He can see it all. He’s got so much experience that you give him that much [hands close together], you’re wide open. There’s been some ‘wow’ moments. I’m sure there’s going to be a heck of a lot more.”
Rodgers is providing the Jets’ social media team with more content than they know what to do with.
He returned to practice on a limited basis Friday after missing a little over a week of OTAs because of a tweak to his calf.
Monday he dropped a beautiful pass deep to Malik Taylor, something the Jets used on social media to get fans excited.
Later, they put out a throw he made to tight end C.J. Uzomah.
“That was a dirty throw,” Saleh said.
It is not just the offense that is seeing the Rodgers effect.
Mosley said the defense improves every day it faces Rodgers.
“Just speaking as a linebacker and as a defense, it’s not every day you get to go against a future Hall of Fame quarterback and get to test your skills, your knowledge and your ability every single day,” Mosley said. “As a defensive player, we’re honored and obviously really blessed just to be in this situation and try to grow as a defense together and as a team.”
Mosley said Rodgers finds holes in the defense.
“As soon as he got here, you could see it,” Mosley said. “He has so much attention to detail, whether he’s looking at … I don’t want to give things away. He has a lot of attention to detail. That’s all I’m going to say. It’s helping our offense and it’s helping our defense every single day.”
The Jets have raced away from expectations in recent years.
They have tried to tamp down any talk of making the playoffs or winning the Super Bowl.
Improvement, growth and development were talked about more than winning.
Rodgers has not shied away from Super Bowl expectations, and he has made the entire organization embrace that.
“Everyone talks about it. You have long-term goals. I think he’s the type that has the discipline to bring it back to the moment,” Saleh said. “The reality is we all want to win a world championship. You guys all want to be the best in your craft. We have long-term goals. What are you doing in the interim? What are you doing today to prepare you or get you moving toward your long-term goals? He’s one of those guys that has that discipline. He understands that, ‘Yes, this is what I want. This is what I need to do today.’ If you have that and you can keep that in perspective, I think you’re fine being able to drift off every once in a while.”