Mike Lupica: We have to gradual the Tremendous Bowl speak if determined Jets land determined Aaron Rodgers

By now, we all know all the the reason why the Jets should take this large swing with Aaron Rodgers. They’re hoping that he can do for them what Tom Brady did for the Bucs. And what Matthew Stafford did for the Rams. They know he has much more left than Peyton Manning did when the Broncos gained their first Tremendous Bowl since John Elway, even when Peyton didn’t have a complete lot to do with that by the tip.

At this level, even individuals in outer area know why the Jets are doing this, why they should do it, as they try and turn out to be one thing greater than a soccer irrelevancy, not simply within the league, however simply round right here.

However the adolescent concept that that is all of the sudden Tremendous Bowl or bust for this explicit Jets group simply occurs to be bananas, whether or not Rodgers is right here for a 12 months or two or much more than that.

Begin right here, as a result of it’s pretty much as good a spot to begin as any:

Since Rodgers performed in his one and solely Tremendous Bowl 12 years in the past, he has gone 0-for-4 in NFC championship video games, towards Seattle and Atlanta and San Francisco and Tampa Bay. And the Jets? Since they gained their one and solely Tremendous Bowl 1,200 years in the past, they occurred to have gone 0-for-4 in AFC championship video games, towards the Dolphins within the mud, towards John Elway one time in Denver, towards the Colts and the Steelers when Rex Ryan was the coach. Within the case of Rodgers and the Jets, it would find yourself being the one concerning the irresistible drive and the immovable object. Until they’re each the immovable object. And that object is historical past. His and theirs.

Don’t get me flawed: I would like this to occur, and never only for Jets followers, only for the leisure it’s going to offer, and the must-see-ness of all of it. I would like it to occur regardless that it nonetheless may not. There’s at all times one large qualifier right here: It’s the Jets. Issues don’t simply go sideways for them, they typically go proper right into a ditch. If you happen to don’t imagine that, take a look at the final two quarterbacks they noticed as needs to construct a dream on:

Sam Darnold.

Zach Wilson.

However let’s say the deal goes by means of, and Rodgers does turns into the No. 12 they’ve been searching for since Joe Namath was No. 12. We are able to already see what a present that is going to be, along with being one of many nice sports activities dramas we’ve ever had in New York sports activities. why it’s going to be that form of drama? As a result of determined individuals typically create nice dramas, and we have now 4 determined individuals concerned on this one:

Woody Johnson.

Joe Douglas.

Robert Saleh.

Aaron Rodgers himself.

Name them the Gang Inexperienced of 4.

The primary three are the producers. Rodgers would be the star, for so long as he’s right here, and relying on simply how a lot he has left. However make no mistake: In their very own methods, they are all determined characters.

[ Antwan Staley: Aaron Rodgers and the Jets need each other as both have something to prove ]

Johnson is determined to place factors on the board for the primary time since Rex was his coach and Mark Sanchez was sufficient of a quarterback to play in an AFC championship recreation as a rookie, after which do the identical the very subsequent 12 months. Douglas and Saleh are straightforward. They’re simply trying to maintain the most effective jobs both of them is ever going to have within the NFL.

Then there’s Rodgers, who needs to be the best man within the room (generally an actual darkish room), however is completely determined to win another Lombardi Trophy; present he can go to the Jets and do what Brady did when he went to Bucs, and Stafford did with the Rams, and even Peyton, even throwing like he was left-handed on the finish, helped do for the Broncos.

By the best way? The Jets don’t simply want a quarterback once more. They want a star. Rodgers has been a star since he took over for Brett Favre, again when the Jets made the identical play for Favre that they’re now attempting to make with Rodgers. At his finest, whereas he was successful all these MVP awards and that one Lombardi Trophy, he performed the place as creatively and magically and effectively because it has ever been performed in skilled soccer.

However subsequent Dec. 2, he’ll flip 40. There is just one quarterback that previous (or older) who has ever been a difference-maker on a Tremendous Bowl successful group, and that’s Brady. He was 41 when he gained his final Tremendous Bowl with the Patriots. Then he went to Tampa and gained one other one on the age of 44.

[ Bob Raissman: Aaron Rodgers is obsessed with managing the message … ‘I’ll speak for myself’ ]

It’s one other space when Rodgers, as nice as he has been, and at his finest he has been legendarily nice, is up towards historical past. But when he does find yourself in Florham Park, and does find yourself taking part in his house video games at MetLife Stadium, he will probably be going up towards one thing else: The truth that the group he’s becoming a member of, for all of the promising expertise it does have on either side of the ball, is being wildly over-evaluated. As a result of right here is one other notion that can also be bananas, even for the giddiest of Jets followers:

That these Jets are one participant — him — away from successful all of it.

Spoiler alert: They’re not.

After all, I would like him (and regardless that you may make a significantly better case for them going exhausting after Lamar Jackson, even along with his harm points recently). Everyone needs to see Rodgers come right here and attempt to change the dreary, shedding narrative across the Jets. It gained’t simply be enjoyable watching him strive. It will likely be large enjoyable watching him attempt to save Douglas, who thought Zach Wilson was the reply. And provides Saleh the prospect to show he is a good head coach on either side of the ball. And, if all of it works out, Rodgers will lastly make Johnson into one thing aside from the Different Proprietor on the Different Workforce in New York and New Jersey.

Perceive this: Rodgers will probably be signing on for lots. However real looking Jets followers I do know — there are some, don’t fear — notice that what they’re capturing for here’s a return to the playoffs; the prospect to play significant video games in January once more. I’m not saying that the Jets can’t win a Tremendous Bowl with Rodgers. The comparable right here is Matthew Stafford, and Stafford, on the most effective day of his life, was by no means the quarterback that Rodgers has been.

There’s a lot to love about this, extra to love than to not like in case you’re a Jets fan. However there’s a lot that might go flawed right here, too. The Jets want to purchase what Rodgers is promoting.

Purchaser beware. Of expectations, largely.

By the way?

There isn’t any extra highly effective — and extra profitable — mystique in all of sports activities, and possibly the historical past of sports activities, than the one about quarterback within the NFL being crucial place in all of sports activities.

It’s why groups make large bets, and generally monumentally unhealthy bets, on quarterbacks on a regular basis.

The Jets did it with Darnold and Wilson.

The Giants are doing it with Daniel Jones, proper this minute, giving him a contract that may be price $160 million, a lot of that off one playoff victory, even when it was a formidable one, towards the protection of the Minnesota Vikings.

However the Cardinals did the identical factor with Kyler Murray, who is rarely going to win a championship.

The Browns simply did it with Deshaun Watson, who gained the one title he’s ever going to win at Clemson.

Everyone retains searching for the following Brady.

Or the following Mahomes.

The issue is, there may be solely two like that within the trendy world {of professional} soccer.

How might you not be blissful for Princeton the opposite day?

How might you not be blissful for Furman?

And the way might your coronary heart not break a bit for Kihei Clark of Virginia, who threw the ball to Furman on the finish and price his group its season?

4 years in the past, it was Clark who ran down a ball on the finish of an Elite Eight recreation towards Purdue, and threw it to Mamadi Diakite, who made the shot that compelled extra time in a recreation the Cavaliers in the end gained, on their solution to successful the nationwide championship.

They don’t win the title with out Clark making a play, and a go, like that.

The Virginia followers, together with those within the media, who jumped Clark after the Furman loss must keep in mind that this weekend.

Or possibly perpetually.

This was one among Buck Showalter’s first reactions, late Wednesday night time, after Edwin Diaz tore up his knee celebrating Puerto Rico’s victory over the Dominican Republic within the World Baseball Traditional:

“The teleprompter simply broke.”

He meant that the script the Mets thought that they had for this season, the one which included Diaz, had simply gone out the window.

However once more:

Mets followers have to keep in mind that Mariano Rivera tore up his knee shagging fly balls within the outfield, and was misplaced for the season in Could.

Rafael Soriano turned the Yankee nearer that 12 months.

He saved 42 video games.

The Yankees gained 95.

And gained the AL East with out Mo.

Are we completely sure that The Masters is a convention in contrast to every other?

In step with immediately’s major material, aren’t the Jets a convention in contrast to every other, too?

You’ll love against the law novel referred to as “Fixit,” by my pal Joe Ide.

No matter occurred to Kyrie?

“Ted Lasso” is again, and higher than ever.

Carlos Alcaraz runs round a tennis court docket the best way Francisco Lindor runs across the bases.

My pal Stanton is cautioning Aaron Rodgers to not go together with that “R-E-L-A-X” stuff if he does get to the Jets.

We form of don’t try this round right here.

We’re all Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday.