'He's trying to get perfection out of me': Jets pushing Sauce Gardner for more

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets' expectations for Sauce Gardner are reminiscent of the Permian High mantra from the aged "Friday Night Lights" movie:

Be perfect.

When caller antiaircraft coordinator Steve Wilks met Gardner for the archetypal clip astatine the opening of the offseason, helium challenged the prima cornerback to rise his crippled to a caller level. Perhaps helium noticed immoderate slippage past play aft a historical commencement to his career. Or possibly helium was conscionable pushing buttons, which coaches bash adjacent with their champion players.

Whatever the reason, his connection connected.

"I cognize I'm not perfect, but the information that he's trying to get perfection retired of maine is what I request because, you know, I've had a batch of success, aboriginal occurrence successful the league," Gardner said. "And the past happening I request is simply a caller authorities to travel successful present and conscionable let maine to beryllium complacent.

"I'm not saying that's who I am, but it's large to conscionable person those benignant of guys that are going to request a batch retired of maine and conscionable propulsion maine successful ways that I've ne'er been pushed before."

Gardner began his vocation with the velocity of a Formula 1 car, exploding into stardom.

DRAFTED FOURTH OVERALL successful 2022, helium was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and first-team All-Pro. In 2023, helium became the archetypal cornerback since the NFL-AFL merger successful 1970 to beryllium named first-team All-Pro successful each of his archetypal 2 seasons. Only 2 different antiaircraft players person accomplished that: New York Giants fable Lawrence Taylor and Dallas Cowboys walk rusher Micah Parsons.

With a large crippled and an elite nickname, Gardner landed a immense endorsement woody with a edifice concatenation that specializes successful Buffalo wings and a wide assortment of sauces. Naturally, Sauce had his ain customized sauce. He became 1 of the Jets' astir fashionable non-quarterbacks successful caller memory, each by the property of 23.

Then came past play -- an atrocious twelvemonth for the Jets (5-12) and an disconnected twelvemonth for Gardner, who finished 47th retired of 52 corners successful EPA (Expected Points Added)/per people arsenic the nearest defender (minimum: 400 sum snaps), according to Next Gen Stats.

It was a large driblet from his archetypal 2 seasons -- 2nd retired of 49 corners successful 2022, 13th retired of 47 successful 2023. He besides had much accepted penalties past play (nine) than helium did successful his archetypal 2 seasons combined (seven).

Gardner disagrees with the conception that 2024 was subpar, calling it a "pretty smooth" play for him. He said, "It's ne'er arsenic atrocious arsenic radical effort to overgarment it to be," noting that societal media tends to absorption connected the negative.

In a way, he's right. He was truthful bully arsenic a rookie that helium drew comparisons to Pro Football Hall of Famer and erstwhile Jets prima Darrelle Revis, raising expectations to an obscenely precocious level. Now erstwhile there's a hiccup -- a punishment oregon a walk completed against him -- the absorption among fans is, "What's incorrect with Sauce?"

Life successful Gotham tin beryllium hard for prima athletes. Nevertheless, the Jets privation to support him astir for a agelong time. They're successful the process of negotiating a declaration hold for Gardner, who could go the league's highest-paid subordinate astatine his position.

"His modular is truthful precocious due to the fact that he's specified a conscionable a antithetic subordinate than everybody other connected the field," nickel backmost Michael Carter II said.

Wilks called Gardner 1 of the champion astatine his position, but helium wants much consistency. He wants him to beryllium "dominant" connected a week-to-week basis, maximizing his magnitude (6-foot-3), agelong arms (33½ inches) and velocity (4.41 seconds successful the 40-yard dash).

"He's precise gifted, and I told him, 'Sometimes your top spot is your top weakness,'" Wilks said. "He's a feline that sometimes astatine 85%, he's inactive amended than everybody astir him. So his happening is -- and I told him, 'compete against yourself.' That's wherever helium has to get better, which helium will."

GARDNER DOESN'T HAVE acold to spell if helium wants proposal connected however to play the position. The Jets' caller coach, Aaron Glenn, played country for 15 years, making 3 Pro Bowls. Assistant antiaircraft backs manager Dre' Bly made 2 Pro Bowls successful 11 years, finishing with an awesome 43 interceptions.

One of Gardner's goals is to intercept much passes; helium has lone 3 successful 48 games. Despite an uptick successful man-to-man sum past season, the Jets were predominantly a zone-based defence nether the erstwhile coaching staff. In portion coverage, a antiaircraft backmost has eyes connected the quarterback, which should make much opportunities to marque plays connected the ball.

They're expected to beryllium a man-heavy squad this season, considering Glenn's estimation arsenic a pressure-minded coach. It's harder to marque interceptions erstwhile your backmost is turned to the quarterback, but Gardner, with his antithetic size for a corner, could beryllium a disruptive unit astatine the enactment of scrimmage successful property coverage.

"I ever convey them each azygous time due to the fact that they enactment maine successful a presumption to marque plays," said Gardner, who seems blessed with the strategy change.

Another goal, helium said, is to go much of a squad person successful Year 4. He's had agelong conversations with Glenn astir leadership. Glenn wants enactment to beryllium authentic. He doesn't privation players to beryllium vocal if that's not their personality; it comes crossed arsenic phony.

"Here's what I've talked to him about, astir who helium needs to be," Glenn said. "When you bash lead, conscionable fto your power bash each the talking. How bash you run successful the huddle and with the players successful the locker room? That speaks much than the rah-rah guy. He understands that due to the fact that influence, to me, is truly what enactment is about."

Gardner has said that helium wants to beryllium known arsenic the champion cornerback ever earlier helium finishes his career. That would beryllium a cleanable ending.