As Cadence Issues Persist Rodgers and Saleh Look for a Solution

The Jets' offense faltered in a 10-9 loss to the Broncos, with Aaron Rodgers' cadence causing five false starts. Tensions rise as Saleh and Rodgers address the issue.

Dec 24, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh (left) talks with quarterback Aaron Rodgers (center) before the game against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Jets lost 10-9 to the Denver Broncos yesterday, and the offense struggled to get on track throughout the game. With only 248 total yards and a staggering 14 hits on quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Jets' struggles were evident.

While there were many issues, the most prominent was the Jets’ offensive line's continued struggle with Aaron Rodgers' cadence.

The line's lack of discipline resulted in five false start penalties, hampering many offensive series before they got off the ground.

As I mentioned last week, the Jets have struggled with false starts on cadence all season, false starts being commonplace in the first four weeks. These struggles were so prominent in the last game that Saleh and Rodgers were questioned about them in their respective post-game pressers.

Saleh expressed his concerns about the team's ability to handle the cadence and hard counts that Rodgers is known for, stating post-game, “We gotta figure it out, whether or not we’re good enough… or ready to handle all of the cadence,” he said. “Cadence had not been an issue all camp. Felt like our operation had been operating pretty good. Obviously, today took a major step back.”

Rodgers, however, quickly pushed back against Saleh's comments, emphasizing the importance of accountability within the team.

"That's one way to do it," Rodgers said when asked about dialing back cadence to avoid penalties. "The other way is to hold them accountable. We haven't had an issue. We've had one false start, and Morgan (Moses) had one false start until this. It's been a weapon. We use it every day in practice. We rarely have a false start, and we had, I don't know, five today, it seemed like? Four or five? It seems like an outlier. I don't know if we need to make mass changes based on kind of an outlier game."

Today, Saleh appeared to flip-flop on his initial comments regarding the cadence. Saleh clarified his feelings: "We're always going to push the envelope with cadence. Always. But with regards to operation, getting in and out of the huddle, getting to the line of scrimmage, the communication that's being had, those are all things that we can continue to look at and clean up. But from a cadence standpoint, that's part of what makes us who we are, and we will always push the envelope on that."

Rodgers' cadence has long been a hallmark of his playing style, allowing him to draw defenders offside, see defensive coverages, and create advantageous situations for the offense.

This will be essential to next week's matchup against a stout Minnesota Vikings defense, which relies on a heavy blitz package from defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

The Green Bay Packers ultimately fell short against the Vikings on Sunday but were able to mount a large comeback down 28, largely due to a Rodger-esque Cadence from his protege Jordan Love. Love employed Rodgers hard count to great effect in the second half, seeing pressure before the snap and opening up a deep passing attack that almost resulted in an improbable comeback.

While Love has picked up a good amount, Rodgers, being the master, should be able to exploit this weakness similarly in next week's matchup, but only if his line allows him to.

Even if they are aligned now, the relationship between Saleh and Rodgers will be closely scrutinized in the coming weeks, especially if the cadence and penalty problems persist.

The tension between the head coach's strategies and the quarterback's established methods could significantly affect the team's performance.

Finding a balance between accountability and maintaining an effective offensive strategy will be key to the Jets' ability to improve and compete this season.