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Perhaps feeling the pressure of the unfamiliar Super Bowl expectations placed upon them, the New York Jets reportedly had quite an incident-filled practice on Wednesday.
According to SNY reporter Connor Hughes, the Jets’ joint practice with the Tampa Bay Bucs on Wednesday was marred by fights “after every play.”
This is honestly becoming unproductive. There’s fighting after every play. #Jets
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) August 16, 2023
The reports of a fight-filled practice come after head coach Robert Saleh called out the offensive line on the latest episode of Hard Knocks. The unit is considered as being one of the few weak links on the Jets’ loaded roster.
“You can have a Hall of Fame quarterback. You can have two $10 million-plus receivers. You can have a reigning offensive rookie of the year. You can have all kinds of skill in the running back room. None of it f—— matters until the big boys up front change who the f— we are. We as coaches, we as an organization can’t want it more than you,” Saleh said.
The Jets are practicing with the Tampa Bay Bucs — who are led by former Jets head coach Todd Bowles — ahead of their preseason matchup on Saturday. The Jets will then close out their preseason against the New York Giants on August 26 before officially kicking off their 2023 campaign against the Buffalo Bills on Monday, September 11.
That Monday Night Football game against Josh Allen and the Bills, which will be the first of the season, will also mark the official debut of future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who joined Gang Green earlier this year.
As a result of their acquisition of Rodgers, the Jets — who haven’t made the playoffs since 2010, the longest drought in the league — find themselves as Super Bowl contenders heading into the season, as their betting odds only trail six other teams: the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Dallas Cowboys.