Frankly I don't care. But to answer your question (I should know better): Just because there's a lot of stupidity and lies on Twitter, does that make everything there untrue? Personally I wouldn't know since I don't have a Twitter - or any social media accounts - but players have paid money to other players in the past for certain numbers.
Confidence comes from winning, not from self hype. As a wise man once said.. "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth". Sauce can gas himself up all he wants but unless he's ready to shut down Stefon Diggs, or Tyreek Hill, or any of the other Wr's in the AFC, its gonna sound like a bad Rex Ryan era clown show joke. Like trying to give yourself a nickname or manufacturing a reputation for being more than what the evidence shows. No need to manufacture anything other than wins. Let the results on the field do the talking. If this team is as good as it thinks it is, it will get around the league that the Jets are no longer a punchline. Talking ain't getting it done. In short, Win first, then talk Big. Not the other way around. Especially for rookies that have proven nothing yet in the NFL.
Yeah, but remember when Joe Willie guaranteed a win over the "invincible" Colts in the SB? Lots of people said he was crazy, and the rest said he was a big mouth, but he shut them all up. And who knows how much his "bragging" rattled the Colts and contributed to the win? Bottom line: different strokes for different folks. If Gardner is as good as people think he is, he'll probably get knocked on his ass, but he'll get back up and make them pay.
I must have missed it -- what did he say? He shouldn't be out there dissing the great receivers until he has proven himself, but I haven't heard him do that. Again, maybe I missed something. I have heard him express confidence in a generic way when asked questions that invited him to express confidence, which is exactly what he should do. But that's it. As for "trying to give yourself a nickname," do you feel he's doing that now? All reports are that his Pop Warner football coach gave him the "Sauce" nickname a decade ago. So he's already had it a long time. I may have missed some news, but the only thing I have seen is that he arranged to get #1, which is hardly bragging. It is positioning himself to get an endorsement deal, which any young guy should be doing in this sport given the very short careers most athletes have. Make the money while it's there. I will say that every interview I have heard of Sauce showed him to be humble, respectful, and classy. Again, maybe I missed something.
No.. He hasn't dissed anyone yet. My point was, gassing himself up will draw unneeded attention to himself. When I bring up the level of competition he'll be facing, don't think for a moment they won't go after #1. The nickname was about Penny's thread about a new identity of Violence for the defense. Hopefully the defense will be what they are and the nicknames will come. Hopefully a good nickname. Bad nicknames usually comes from bad play. Just ask VanRotten about that... Hope that clears things up..
Agree. Until we can dominate, let's keep our attitude/swag in our locker room and out of the other team's locker room. And opponents will definitely test Sauce until he proves that it's unwise.
I just hope he is as good as JD and RS think he might become. All I heard him say so far is he is confident in his skills and can make this team better and he is willing to learn in the process. I see zero wrong with that. I’m not sure what he specifically said that constitutes as bragging.
Ok.. I had no idea Kyle had his own tour bus.. Holeee Shyt.. Sauce Gardner is an shrinking violet compared to this guy.. And of course his game never approached his opinion of his talent level. I still remember the finger wag.. I'm amazed his head fit inside his helmet!!
Swaggaliciousness is a non-verbal form of bragging IMHO. I get being self confident as you need to be that as a professional however, perhaps dialing down the swag and letting his play speak for itself might be prudent here. They're going to go after #1 and for his sake I hope he's up to the challenge.
I certainly hope he is too Cman. He will have a few growing pains along the way, facing the best of the best, but hope he grows into a pro bowler sooner than later.
I understand your points and under most circumstances I'd agree with you. But the cornerback position is unique in that it requires confidence and resilience to be successful. The fact of the matter is Sauce Gardner is going to be beaten a lot by wide receivers, the best corners in the game all are. He's got to believe in himself or else its going to ruin him when he gets beaten. Look at Jalen Ramsey, he's a cocky SOB, that's what makes him great and why after he gets torched for a 75 yard TD in the superbowl, he's still locking down on the final drive. You could say the same thing about Richard Sherman, cocky SOB, and even Revis. Their confidence is part of their game. Its like a closer in baseball, you dont want a shaky humble guy taking the mound with bases loaded clinging to a 1 run lead!
Not arguing the confidence factor. Maybe this is his way of self-motivation. I think it's calling unnessary attention to a pressure packed situation.
This has been a great thread with excellent diverse viewpoints. How much confidence or swag do you want to display and how will the opposition react to that is a very valid argument. NFL players have long memories and don't like to be over shadowed particularly by a rookie. But at the end of the day the play calling by the best teams is geared to find the weak links and exploit them. So Sauce can ill afford to be the weak link at the start of the season. I'm convinced, particularly early on, the rookie will be tested time and time again by arguably some of the best WR in the entire league. Both his performance and the CS defensive alignments need to be sensitive to that and structure a smart game plan to accommodate his strenghts as he grows into the role. Further, I don't want to loose sight of the fact that facing such potent offenses is tough enough even with a great D, and we are facing an offense twice a year that was a flip coin away from going to the SB, amongst a bunch of other playoff contenders. IMO the best medicine is keep our offense on the field and grind the leaving shit out of the clock with a great mix of short passes, a running game that is productive on all downs, and a game plan that keeps their defense guessing on every down, while we we control the clock and keep their offense watching from the sidelines. . And yes, if the other team is now faced with a come from behind situation, rush the leaving shit out of the QB, a position we have not been in in God knows how long.
