The New York Jets have owned the back pages of The Big Apple since the team acquired Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, as the Jets looked like legitimate contenders last season, though they were missing a quarterback. They’ve since acquired Rodgers, appeared on Hard Knocks and will be featured on several primetime games this season, as the hype hasn’t stopped over at One Jets Drive.
But only one team that calls MetLife Stadium its home made the playoffs last season, and that was the New York Giants. And they haven’t received as much, if any of the spotlight, even if there are similar expectations between the two teams.
If anyone understands why there’s a lot of hype surrounding Gang Green, it’s New York Giants All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley, who funnily enough grew up a big Jets fan.
“I was a Jets fan going up, so I can see why there’s a lot of buzz going on,” Barkley recently told Fox News. “Having a guy like Aaron Rodgers, that caliber of player that he is, the type of talent that he is. They got a good thing going over there, and it’s going to be fun when we get to play them in a couple weeks in October.”
Barkley was asked how he felt about the Jets receiving all the hype in New York.
“I don’t care for it to be honest,” Barkley said. “That’s just not really what matters. All that matters is going out there and winning football games and the rest is going to take care of itself.”
“At the end of the day, can’t really get too caught up in that,” he added. “Whether you’re hyped as a team, or get no love, and they don’t expect you to be in the playoffs like we were last year, the only thing that matters is coming to work every single day, believing in the system, having that trust that we have with each other as teammates, as brothers, and continue to have the mindset that it really doesn’t matter what everyone is saying.”
It remains to be seen which team finishes with a better record, as all eyes will be on their Oct. 29 showdown.
[Fox News]
