Mike Greenberg vowed to embark on a darkness retreat if Aaron Rodgers became a New York Jet, but now a darkness retreat may be his only way of coping with Rodgers’ tenure as a Jet.
After months of hyping the Aaron Rodgers-led New York Jets, the four-time NFL MVP finally made his debut Monday night. It began with Rodgers leading his team onto the field by carrying an American flag in front of a raucous crowd. And then it lasted just four snaps. Four snaps were all it took for the crowd to be silenced and Greenberg to be absolutely devastated as Rodgers was carted off the field with what the Jets believe is a torn left Achilles tendon.
When he was on-air, Greenberg spent most of his summer leading the charge for Rodgers and the Jets on ESPN. Like most Jets fans, Greenberg probably knew deep down that this season would end in disappointment considering the franchise often seems allergic to the Super Bowl. But not even the most pessimistic Jets fan could have predicted Rodgers’ season would end after just four snaps. Stunned is an understatement.
The Jets would ultimately rally from down 13-3 to beat the Buffalo Bills in overtime on Monday Night Football. But the win can only mask the pain of watching Aaron Rodgers get carted through the stadium with a probable season-ending injury for so long. And Tuesday morning, Greenberg was tasked with hosting Get Up while grieving. During the opening, Greenberg urged the show to stop its chipper intro. “Kill the music, kill the graphics,” Greenberg bemoaned.
“I can’t pretend this is alright, I cannot pretend this is just a normal morning, I cannot do the big voice, I cannot pretend the energy is here,” Greenberg said with the exact same voice and energy that he does every morning on Get Up.
The “I can’t do this…kill the music, kill the graphics,” very much felt like a bit, it felt like he was pretending that he didn’t want to pretend, but the sentiment remains true for all Jets fans this morning, not just Greenberg. Excuse some of us for not feeling bad for Greeny as we go through our own five stages of grief.
The Jets catered to Rodgers, they built their franchise, offense, and roster around a 39-year-old quarterback. And after just four snaps, everything changed for this season and their future. Last week, Rodgers spoke about the possibility of sticking with the Jets until he turns 45 years old! This morning, it feels unlikely that he ever takes a fifth snap for the Jets.
And now Mike Greenberg is sad.
[Get Up]
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com