What’s a cut block? Why Aaron Rodgers didn’t like the play, even before injury

Sometimes an offensive lineman will dive at the defender’s feet and appear to fall, leaving the defender free to roam toward the quarterback. If the quarterback hasn’t thrown the ball yet, he’s probably been hit or is under pressure. It’s called a cut block, and technically that’s what it should be. However, that’s not the ending.

There is some semblance of a give-up to a cut block, but the idea is for the offensive lineman to block the defender long enough to remove the O-lineman from the quarterback’s pass line, making it easier for the offense to hit. It is. quick pass. That last part is important. The quarterback needs to get rid of the ball quickly.

However, if the cut block fails, Really I fail.

That’s what happened on Aaron Rodgers’ first pass attempt Monday night against the Buffalo Bills. New York Jets right tackle Mekhi Becton dived into the feet of defensive end Gregory Rousseau, but it didn’t work, and Rodgers was hit and threw the pass down the sideline.

Two plays later, the same thing happened again. Duane Brown’s dive at the feet of defensive end Leonard Floyd had no effect, and Rodgers was sacked. When he stood up, he was limping. He looked at the sideline, shook his head and returned to the field. That was the moment Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon, ending his season and ending the Jets’ hopes of winning a Super Bowl.

Rodgers was supposed to be the Jets’ savior, ending a 12-year playoff drought and giving the Jets a chance to win their first championship since 1969. Instead, his season ended shortly after it began.

In the days and weeks leading up to the season, Rodgers had expressed distaste for plays that included cut-blocking of offensive linemen at the line of scrimmage, multiple team officials said, suggesting Rodgers improvised. This is because he is forced to get rid of the ball faster than if he were to get rid of it. That’s what he likes. The sources were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss team matters.

“Defensive linemen get right up after a cut block, so they don’t have a chance to extend the play,” said an NFL assistant coach on another team who was granted anonymity to speak freely about the Jets’ play calls. “If you make a cut, you have to throw it early or get rid of the ball.”

That’s why Rodgers doesn’t like those plays. Some Jets players and coaches have wondered if the turf at MetLife Stadium had more to do with Rodgers’ injury than the play, but manager Robert Saleh said Tuesday that the turf was a factor. He said he did not think so. Still, it’s worth noting that even when Rodgers played for the Green Bay Packers, he didn’t like cut blocks being called.

“I’ve been blocking Aaron for 10 years,” Packers offensive tackle David Bakhtiari said Wednesday. The AthleticMatt Schneidman. “I got a lot of input from him about cuts, but pretty much a rule of thumb, at least working with him, is don’t make cuts unless Aaron says so in the huddle or at the line of scrimmage. That’s not a criticism of Aaron. …When people defend and say that’s what they should do, I thought: Well, obviously there’s a misunderstanding. Because if he’s telling you to do that, then that coach doesn’t know Aaron. And I know for a fact that Aaron probably definitely brought it up. So I think: , “Not all of you think the same way.” Again, that’s not why (the firing) happened. There are many other factors as well. ”

The Jets hired offensive line coach Keith Carter this offseason to replace John Benton, who left the team along with offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. Carter, who also holds the title of run game coordinator, has different preferences than Benton in coaching offensive linemen and came to the Jets with a reputation for using cut blocks more frequently than most NFL offensive line coaches. .

Jets are running a lot of ‘quick games’ on offense, team official said, That’s why it’s part of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett’s system. These two plays, which involved pass blocking by Brown and Becton, came early in the game. That means they were in the Jets’ scripted plays Monday night. Scripted plays are usually his first 15-20 plays in the game that are predetermined and agreed upon. Rodgers had a say in whether the play was part of the scripted part of the game, so he should have known the cut block was coming.

“I’m sure he understands why,” said another Jets team official.

As it turns out, Rodgers likely held onto the ball too much in both cases. Coach Saleh said after the game about the play in which Rodgers was injured, “The play extended beyond the timing of the play.”

Saleh said it was not Brown’s fault.

“We’ll fight until it’s over, but if it gets extended, that’s just a very disappointing play,” Saleh said.

But the 38-year-old Brown was emotional in the locker room after the game, knowing his block was responsible for the sack that ended Rodgers’ season.

“It was a cut block. We went to cut the defensive end, he played well, and then we went home and Aaron got hurt,” Brown said. “We have to execute the cuts better.”

Internally, the Jets’ coaching staff supports the use of cut blocks, even if they don’t work as planned on the first few plays. Jets coaches view cut blocking as an effective technique to slow down the pass rush off the edge. They use it sparingly and only on plays that are expected to involve quick passes to help the offensive tackles.

Even if Rodgers’ injury wasn’t due to a cut block, that doesn’t make it any easier to be angry about.

“I have the utmost respect and love for Aaron,” Brown said. “I really hate not seeing him outside. … We got the win, but (losing him) on the first drive of his debut season is not ideal.”

(Photo: Mike Stove/Getty Images)

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