With the Jets on a two-game winning streak entering Sunday's clash with the Packers in Green Bay, veteran LG Laken Tomlinson is hoping that he can continue to improve as part of a group that is gaining continuity.
"Obviously when you look at the film, you're always going to be hard on yourself and critique yourself," Tomlinson said. "There are always things you can do better. Right now, I feel like the offensive line as a whole, we're rolling. So, we're trying to continue that trend upwards."
Tomlinson was previously with the San Francisco 49ers from 2017-2022 and a staple on their offensive line. Last January, Tomlinson was a part of the 49ers team that beat the Packers at Lambeau Field to advance to the NFC Championship.
"Playing at Lambeau is very special," Tomlinson said. "We had some success when we played there when I was with the 49ers in January and the playoffs. So, I'm just trying to go 2-0 this year."
Having played the Packers six times in the past five years, Tomlinson knows Green Bay's 5th-ranked defense very well. While the Pack has had mixed results against the run, they are 2nd in pass defense, 4th on third down and 11th in scoring.
"I mean, they have a really good defensive front and familiar guys that I've played against over the years," he said. "Same guys, Kenny Clark and they brought in Jarran Reed. But I feel like the way we're running the ball right now, we can take advantage of some of the schemes that we have and we can definitely get moving."
HC Robert Saleh added: "Their d-line is for real. They've got a really, really good front and then obviously in the back end they're very disciplined, I think Joe Barry does such a great job with that group. They're very sound, they're very disciplined, and like I said, that front, they get after it."
Tomlinson, an eighth-year veteran, was a part of a rebuild in San Francisco that resulted in a Super Bowl appearance, two NFC Championship appearances, and a 2021 Pro Bowl selection for Tomlinson. He sees a lot of similarities between what happened in San Francisco and what the current Jets team has building.
"Yes, there's a ton of similarities," Tomlinson said. "Just the vibe in the locker room. Everyone being bought in, and it starts with the coaches and the guys up front of the staff as well. So, once you get that trickledown effect to the locker room and you get those good guys in the locker room, you get to see that in the way we play, and it definitely shows up in the end of some games."
"We're able to finish some games just the attitude that we came out with. So, Coach Saleh says all gas no brakes, it really is all gas no brakes."
