In an ideal world, C.J. Mosley is owed some issues. Workforce success. Playoff video games. Perhaps even a championship.
The rock of a linebacker in the course of the Jets protection does every thing the correct means. He’s a mannequin of consistency.
He’s the unquestioned chief of a protection that ranked third within the NFL final season and was fourth in 2022.
He’s a constant tackling machine, having amassed 478 of them up to now three seasons, throughout which he’s missed just one recreation.
Soccer has given Mosley a terrific life, made him more cash than he and his household might ever want.
However Mosley, for all of the issues he has, lacks group success with the Jets. He final performed a postseason recreation with the Ravens in 2018 and has performed in solely three of them in his profession.
There won’t be a participant on the Jets hungrier to win than Mosley. And there’s positively not a participant extra deserving of tasting the nectar of group success than him.
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In a post-practice sit-down with The Submit this week, Mosley conceded he desires about successful a championship with the Jets “each single day.’’
And, with a wholesome Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, some tantalizing skill-position gamers comparable to receiver Garrett Wilson and working again Breece Corridor and many of the gamers from the third-ranked protection again, Mosley can’t assist however imagine his time is now.
And may the Jets lastly attain the Promised Land, the place Joe Namath was the final to stroll, Mosley is aware of precisely what he’s going to do.
Indulge in being a champion.
“The final time I held up a trophy was 2013 after I was at Alabama and we beat Notre Dame in Miami, and one factor I all the time regretted was, after that recreation, not having fun with that second,’’ Mosley mentioned. “As a result of with coach [Nick] Saban, the best way it was arrange was all the time, ‘What’s subsequent?’
“So, after we win with the New York Jets, after the sport I’m positively going to permit myself to get pleasure from it.’’
Mosley mentioned the Tremendous Bowl is on his thoughts day-after-day he involves work on the Jets’ observe facility, as a result of the Tremendous Bowl III trophy sits on show simply contained in the entrance door.
“What’s cool is as soon as Aaron bought right here, folks — primarily him — weren’t afraid to speak in regards to the Tremendous Bowl, like saying it loud, prefer it’s a factor and we are able to do it,’’ Mosley mentioned.
Mosley recalled seeing a social media video of Rodgers at a Taylor Swift live performance with confetti raining down at MetLife Stadium and saying, “I can’t wait to see this on the Tremendous Bowl.’’
“That gave me chills,’’ Mosley mentioned. “You envision that. When he mentioned that, I used to be like, ‘Yeah, I see it and I really feel it.’ ’’
Mosley, in a unique, quieter means of main than Rodgers, has joined forces with the uber-confident quarterback in making an attempt to persuade the gamers round them that that is doable.
“I like C.J. — he’s a professional’s professional,’’ Rodgers mentioned. “He goes about it the correct means. He doesn’t say a complete lot, however when he does all people sorts of perks up. He jogs my memory of Julius Peppers [the linebacker/edge rusher who Rodgers played with in Green Bay]. And Julius goes to the Corridor of Fame. Julius sort of led by instance. “The play fashion is all the time the identical with C.J. He’s robust, he’s bodily, he’s athletic, he’s good. He simply has that lead-by-example [way about him], which you recognize. You all the time know what you’re going to get with him.’’
You root for gamers like Mosley, who do every thing the correct means, to get what you imagine they deserve. Mosley, although, could be very pragmatic about life and doesn’t purchase into the thought that he’s owed something by the sport.
“Not on this sport,’’ Mosley mentioned. “You’ve nonetheless bought to earn it each single day.’’
Mosley mentioned “from time to time’’ a poster of the 2019 Jets, his first 12 months with the group, “pops up’’ on his social media feed and it reminds him about how rapidly issues change within the NFL.
“It exhibits how I’m the one one nonetheless left,’’ he mentioned.
It, too, is a reminder of how tough his Jets journey was firstly.
There was the extreme groin harm he suffered in his first recreation with the group after signing a five-year $85 million contract. Mosley had a pick-six and a fumble restoration in that recreation earlier than the harm wrecked the remainder of his season.
Then there was the COVID-19 12 months in 2020, throughout which Mosley opted out for the protection of his household.
Adam Gase, the Jets head coach when Mosley was signed, was fired after 2020 and changed by Robert Saleh.
“For any athlete, when you signal a contract, a giant contract, the 2 belongings you don’t need to take care of are accidents and training adjustments, and that occurred my first two years … plus COVID,’’ Mosley mentioned. “So, wanting again on it, it wasn’t meant to be at the moment.’’
He believes it’s meant to be now.
“We’re at some extent now, collectively as a group, that this can be a playoff group,’’ Mosley mentioned. “However we simply can’t say that. Now we have to go on the market and execute it.’’
And earn it, which is the Mosley means.
