09 October 2023 , 11:45
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New York Jets star Sauce Gardner could not help himself from aiming a sly dig towards Russell Wilson after "Gang Green" managed to come from behind and win against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
The Jets took Sunday's game with the Denver Broncos personally for their new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired by Denver last season after being their head coach.
Hackett and the Broncos had huge struggles through the 2022 campaign, after making a blockbuster trade to acquire Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks for multiple first-round picks. But that move did not work out as they thought, with the Broncos going on to have one of the worst records in the NFL - leading to Hackett's dismissal.
The man who took over from Hackett, Sean Payton, had harsh words for his predecessor - brandishing the efforts from the previous regime as "one of the worst coaching jobs in NFL history".
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Hackett, who joined the Jets as their offensive coordinator this past offseason, was taken aback by the comments, with a number of coaches and players leaping his defense - including his own head coach Robert Saleh. His players were also quick to back him from what seemed unreasonably harsh comments from Payton.
And after the Jets went on to a win a close game over the Broncos, with quarterback Wilson making the final mistake to see the Jets claim the victory, Gardner tweeted a message to mock the Broncos and their quarterback.
Gardner tweeted: "Jets country...... LETS RIDE". This, being in response to Wilson's former catchphrase, which he was mocked for using in his introductory press conference and throughout the early party of the season.
Sauce GardnerAhead of the game, Saleh had referenced Payton's comments and admitted that the meeting between the two teams would be personal.
He said: "From whatever was said in training camp, in a football life, that was like 20 years ago,” Saleh told reporters on Monday, via the . “That’s a non-topic, but obviously it is going to be a personal feel to go back.
“I think [Hackett] understands, coach’s kid and going through this process, he will know how to handle himself.
“He will know how to keep his emotions in check and to make sure we do what’s best for this organization and this team with how it stands now. I fully expect him to be perfectly fine and level-headed.”