So much time and verbiage were connected with the classy way Aaron Rodgers said goodbye — if that's in fact what he said following his and the Jets' pulling it all together 32-20 win over the Dolphins.
Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich gave his tributes to Rodgers, of course, but he also didn't forget about who all brought the Jets to Game 17, in the good and the not-as-great way.
"It was amazing," Ulbrich said once the game, and the Jets' season, had ended. "All the work that has been put in by the men in that locker room and all of the adversity they've had to face on and off the field, everything they have been through, it's really cool for them to have that moment. It's so well-deserved."
Ulbrich was asked about his IHC — interim head coach — title, even after it led to a 3-13 finish. He answered in a way that Rodgers had been majoring in the past several weeks of a sometimes sentimental journey,
"This is an opportunity just to celebrate this team," he said. "Finishing it the right way was big for all of us."
The right finish kicked in shortly after Rodgers threw his first pass of the late afternoon, a deflected interception. That didn't look promising for the Green & White.
But while some don't invest a lot in the passer rating system, it can provide its surprising moments. For instance, after that one pick, Rodgers' rating was 0.0. Someone cue up the Dean Wormer "Animal House" disk.
The next drive was a little better: 2-for-4, 10 yds, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 56.3 rating. From there, like a magician, he rose up, helped his offense and his team take the lead, and that lead varied between 12 and 5 points, never closer, never farther for the entire fourth quarter.
Rodgers' passing from drive 3 to the end: 21-for-32, 264 yards, 4 TD, 0 INTs, 130.7 rating.
The Jets defense, meanwhile, was a bend-don't-break unit. And it kept QB Tyler Huntley, playing for the second game in place of Tua Tagovailoa and his hip injury, in the game and trying to figure out how to penetrate the unit, which had been fairly soft in recent games. The beset the 'Fins could do was answer the Jets' fourth-quarter TDs with scores of their own. It wasn't enough, Miami gained 334 yards but at 4.9 yards/touch, and they gave the Jets four turnovers, two on interceptions by S Ashtyn Davis and two on fumble recoveries by Quincy Williams and Solomon Thomas.
"A lot of different reasons," Ulbrich said of the defense's off-and-on showings. "Just like a lot of our other things we have fallen short with, today, they showed up. One guy in particular, Ashtyn Davis, I'm so happy for him. Playing a limited role is hard in the NFL. Being a role player is hard, especially a guy like him who has exceptional talent. For him to get out there to make the most of his opportunity like he usually does is really cool to see.
That turned the MetLife Stadium home locker room into an almost weepy gathering.
It was very challenging but also very rewarding," Brick said. "I know that sounds crazy, the fact that the results were not what we all wanted, but I learned a lot about myself, I learned a lot about this team, I learned a lot about coaching, teaching, leadership, the whole thing. It's going to be a great opportunity for me to reflect and grow when this is all said and done."
And it cause the IHC to offer another "rewarding" quote, about the Jets' 20-season, 41-year-old, future Hall of Famer, who didn't really say after the game whether he was leaning one way or another about hanging up the shoulder pads for good.
"He can still play at a high level, I know that," Ulbrich said. "There were times this year where he was really hurt. He was playing through that because, like I've said before, of the obligation to his teammates and his love for this game. He wanted to play 17 off an Achillies at 40-plus years old. That was a major part of his drive this year. What an amazing accomplishment. In saying that, finally getting an opportunity to get healthy towards the end, we got to see that he can still play this game at a very, very high level. Whether he plays or not after this will be completely up to him because I'm sure he'll have an opportunity."
