The buddy-buddy system never worked, and now the Aaron Rodgers era has ended for the New York Jets.
New head coach Aaron Glenn now intends to take this thing in a different direction as Justin Fields will be the quarterback taking the reins under center.
And maybe second-year receiver Malachi Corley can be his buddy.
Corley, taken in Round 3 of last year's NFL Draft by the old regime, was supposed to learn by working alongside Rodgers. But the youngster struggled to stay on the field ... and the oldster is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Revently, receivers coach Shawn Jefferson was candid about the player's setup with the new staff while talking to ESPN's Rich Cimini.
“My old coach, Bill Parcells, used to say, 'The first thing you need to be is you need to be available,” Jefferson said. “(Corley's) missed some time, and there’s a learning curve here, so he’s in catch-up mode right now.”
That's not exactly glowing praise.
Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard and Josh Reynolds make up the upper echelon of the team's depth chart. Following those three, there are other players ready and capable of holding onto a spot further down the chart, especially if Corley cannot make it onto the field.
Glenn has emphasized that Corley will get his shot. But again, that first requires his availability. ... and, maybe in the player's mind, a bit of attitude.
Why else would Corley take to social media to post at his critics, “Don’t Come With No Message, Cause We’ll Off The Messenger''?
Corley should know this isn't about negative "messages.'' It's about him getting better.
“There’s a plan for him, and we’re going to make sure that we try to utilize him to what he can do best, and we’ve seen that in college,” Glenn said. noting that Corley is working through an injury issue. “Hopefully, he gets well soon, and we get a chance to utilize his skill set.”