Legendary quarterback Boomer Esiason believes Aaron Rodgers is to blame for his season-ending injury against the Bills in week one. On his show Boomer and Gio on WFAN, Boomer stated:
“It’s a quick pass. Duane Brown, who plays offensive tackle, is essentially diving for the legs of the defensive end. It’s a cut-block, if you will. Aaron has found the one for him. He is quite receptive. You can just toss it. I can’t figure out the reason why he didn’t throw it.”
According to Dianna Russini and Zack Rosenblatt of the Athletic:
“Rodgers didn’t like the play-calls involving cut-blocks and expressed as much to Jets coaches,” including offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
Esiason would not stop there, though, and went on to say:
“Let’s circle back to Tom Brady…Esiason made the observation that “there’s a reason he lasted as long as he did.” “He called a play, and he knew exactly where he was going with it; however, he wouldn’t hold onto it, and he threw it.”
Esiason would go on to provide the following commentary on the play where Rodgers tore his Achilles:
“You could see that they have two slant patterns on the outside, and if he looks left where Brown is cutting down the legs of the defensive end so that he can’t knock the ball down.” “That’s what he’s been taught to do—just throw it, let it go, and this won’t happen,” the speaker said. When it comes to quarterbacks, I am always emphasizing the need of self-preservation. The longer you keep possession of the ball, the greater the risk that you may get an injury.”
Was Rodgers to Blame?
There have been so many speculative reports on Rodgers’ injury, but no one knows anything for sure. Some people blame the artificial turf for his injury. Esiason thinks he could have avoided it by playing smart. For all we know, his Achilles could have been damaged, and that play just finished it off. Esiason does believe Rodgers won’t retire and will return next year. Either way, right now, the Jets are 1-0 and are focused on their marquee matchup against the Cowboys this week.
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