When it comes to training camp, the first rule of practice is to never touch the quarterback, and apparently, one Jets player broke that rule over the weekend, which led to a major scare for the team.
During a non-padded workout, Aaron Rodgers was being rushed by Jermaine Johnson II and that rush ended with Johnson accidentally making contact with the quarterback's pinky toe. That might not sound like much, but a broken pinky toe for Rodgers could have potentially ended the Jets season before it even started.
Fortunately for the Jets, though, Rodgers did not break his pinky toe, although he did have to leave practice for several plays to make sure everything was in one piece.
As you can imagine, Jets coach Robert Saleh wasn't thrilled about what happened, so he made sure to remind every defensive player after practice that they should NEVER touch the quarterback.
"We do it all the time," Saleh said of reminding his pass-rushers to never touch the QB in practice, via the team's official website. "Stay off the quarterback. Respect the quarterback. Every player knows how important those quarterbacks are, but stay up, stay off them. It goes without saying, but you're always going to try to make it a point of emphasis."
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The last thing Rodgers needs to be dealing with at 39 is a lower-body injury. Back in May, he suffered a calf strain, but he has since recovered from that. As for this injury, he already appears to be fine as he was able to finish practice.
That being said, if the "Hard Knocks" cameras were rolling when Rodgers got stepped on over the weekend, it will be worth watching the first episode just to see how his teammates reacted. The newest season of the HBO show will be debuting on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET and then airing every subsequent Tuesday until Sept. 5.