Official Jets Podcast is presented by win Beat. Betting is a team sport, but together it went bat Eric Allen here with Jets middle linebacker Mike Linebacker CJ Mosley. CJ, thank you so much for join us in the studios always.
Thanks for having me.
So let's start with New England. I know at the end of the day, it can't carry over things from season to season. But with that being said, how important was it for this team, this organization to put that streak behind you.
Just one less thing we have to worry about. At first, it was beating the Bills. We got over that hump last year or the year before, whenever it was. And now every time we play New England, it's twelve Game Street, thirteen Gay Street, fourteen Gain Street.
Be able to check this haste. The Jets like all the stories.
So hopefully now we can just quiet down and we can bring some order back to our to our division. So yeah, we we just want to be able to compete. We want to have our name mentioned and we have to earn that, and I feel like we've been taking those right steps. So yeah, it's it's hard to carry it the end of the season win over into.
The next year.
But understanding that momental, understanding the reason why we won, how we won, that's what's important. Want penalty the whole day, you know, we was harping on playing penalty free football. Obviously we got turnedovers on defense, offense ran the ball really well, obviously, but the weather helping that too.
But you saw a complete football game.
Special teams did a great job, great the leg out there kicking in that crazy conditions, can barely see.
So it was fun to be a part of. And we played winning football.
How much did you enjoy that atmosphere playing and which was basically a snow globe, that kind of game, And had you experienced one like that?
So this I would this would take over my number one snow game because last year was my first ten snow game when we played Buffalo at the end of the year.
But that was like rain, sleet and snow for a bit.
But just being in that environment under those circumstances, you know, with you know the story with Coach Belichick and the Patriots, you know, just sitting that snow go down, it just reminded me as a kid, and obviously as a player now just watching those those old school Patriots games and the snow, watching those those big time games, and you know, just to be a part of that opportunity even though everything that was going on, and I'll never take it
for granted. So I mean, anytime we can get some crazy weather, you know, it might be cold or rainy and all that. At the end of the day, man, it's an opportunity for us, for us to go out there and be our best. And obviously playing in the snow, it just brings a kid out of you.
How do you want this twenty twenty three Jets team to be remembered?
I mean, it was so many stories you can you can put on our team, starting from again and all the way to the end. So I would say, when when the versity hits, it shows who you really are. And I can I can sit here today and say that I'm happy that this the year went the way it did because there was a lot of a lot of hype that a lot of people not used to around here. It was all cool and dandy, but when the stuff hit the fan and the and the real
people started to show who they really were. You know, we didn't we didn't change who we were, you know, from from the coaches all the way to the players. Cosala every week had a mission Costal every week had a plan, had a goal in mind for how we wanted our team to look and it was up to us to bring that vision to the football field. And
you know, starting with practice every single week. You know, it was some tough some tough weeks where we have to come into work and swallow, swallow the peal and you know, take that, take that punch to the face and just key rolling. But you know, that's that's what this league is about. It's a long season. You have to do it. You have to you have to understand it. You have to be able to reset your process after every single week, whether it's a win, a loss of tie.
But that's just the mental the mental focus and the mental toughness that that we have to have going for it, knowing that no matter if we start slow or fast or different, no matter if we're down about ten fifteen points, we always have a chance because of the man in our room.
So you said that, hey, I wouldn't want to have it any other way. As far as like embracing the adversity, you think that ultimately this group is going to get better because of what happened this season.
Yeah, I mean we after all in said and done, we still won seven games. Put us at another conference, puts in another division another year. No, that's seven games might win us a division, might win us, might get us in the playoff birth. But you know, this is the cars that we were dealt this year, and I feel like, for the most part, know we did our best to handle it to the best of our ability. And you know, we tried every single week I feel, to put our best foot forward now even though it
didn't turn out the way we want it. You know, that's just something that you have to believe. You know, we come to work after a loss. You know, how does that look for me versus when we come to work out the win? Like, are we trying to improve? All we okay with the satisfaction of just that one win? Or can we be even or can we learn more from the losses that we have and why we lost and how we lost compared to the reason why we won. So, I mean, it's all it's all mental for me, man.
Like the physical part is going. It's always going to be there as long as my body can hold up. I've been running and hitting people my whole life, so I can always do that. But being able to understand this game and understand what's asks from us every single week, day and day out. Understand the vision that we want to we want to instill into our organization, the standard that we want to have. You know, that's that's the steps that we have to start taking to become a championship team.
Do you take pride in the fact, since you are a leader on this team, since you are a veteran, the way this group stuck together, like because I think on other rosters, maybe defenses and special teams might be pointless. Offense feel like you're not pulling your rope here. I didn't feel that at all this season, despite what was
happening at times. You know, you're talking about the continuity issues along the offensive line and you guys playing with four different quarterbacks bottom line, there were going to be struggles on that side of the ball, and there were.
Yeah, and all that being said, at the end of the day, man, we still dominated as a defense.
We stuck together.
It was a certain time where we felt like we were trying to do a little too much when things were going a little sideways, but you know, that's what that's what our coaches is for, to help us get back to our place, help us make sure that we're doing the right thing, to keep the main thing the
main thing. And like that small stretch where we was giving up a few more points in yards than we usually did, we had a defensive meeting like we always did, say hey, control what you could control, and I like click for everybody. Actually it was a hearty Hardy said it control what you could control, and that's defense and special teams. And once he said that, man, I feel like we just just said forget all the extra stuff.
It's called to play line up and let's go. Let's go play ball.
What did the defense become this season in terms of you've been here for a while now, what kind of jump did they take? And then also, what do you think the future holds.
For this group? We'll start with the future.
The future holds a bunch of a bunch of young and some young great players and some craft evets and just that mixture. Especially when the guys have been together, we're going well now, we just finished our third year together. As far as coaches and players, you can just you can just feel the camaraderie that we have as a unit. To watch this last game, every play if someone celebrated with somebody, it's not just dbs and dbs and.
Linebacks and linebackers.
To play that the ad made on that fourth down and one you see a d line and running down the field thirty yards say he's so excited. So man, that kind of love that we have for each other when we make plays, when we're going through those tough times where we need to make a justins on the sideline, us being able to talk it out, you know, me the linebackers looking at the tape and saying, hey, we need to look at this run because we haven't seen this shit. And then that message get spread across the
whole defensive side of the ball. And it's just amazing to be a part of it. And it's fun just to learn and experience and pick up on our defense and and know what we're capable of every single day.
How much pride to take in the fact of here's Quincy Williams. The guy was a waiver claim a couple of years and now he's voted team MVP by your group. Those guys inside the locker room, you're the guy who's been playing alongside him since he entered this building. How much Yeah, like pride in terms of this teammate next to me, the guy that I'm with every day battling, who's learned to study, who's learned the game inside and out, is taking that jump.
I said it earlier. Man, he makes my job a lot easier, especially been on the field with him. The whole linebacker corps, including no coach, Rudy and Nathaniel.
The way they.
Approach approach work every day, the film work that the coaches give us, the notes that they give us, the deliberate work that they put in. It makes us better players and men because you know there are leaders as well. You know, even though they're they're coaching, as we see them every day now, we look up to them, We listen to them. You know, they're teaching us every single day,
talking life, talking ball, talking all that stuff. So the respect that we have for our coaches that makes us play harder for them when we do get a call, like, we want this call to work because you know that's your vision for us to be great, So we want to provide and like Brick always said, you know, we give you the keys to the car once once it's Sunday, and they just try to put us in the right position.
So when you when you playing with that kind of love, that kind of respect for your teammates and your coaches, it makes you want to keep going that much more harder, no matter what the result is.
Three straight seasons for you, one hundred and fifty plus tackles.
What's the significance, No significance, just just what I do. I mean, be funny, man, Like I said, I've been playing football my whole life. I can run and hit any time in the day. But you know that's to win a championship. We need more than that. You know, we got that mental that mental toughness part. And like I said, that's why I won't take anything away from the season, because I learned so much as a player, but also as a leader, you know, how to approach people.
Just every year, man, I feel like I just I just grow so much as a player as a leader. I never take you know, being voted as a captain for granted, So any chance I get to to just give anybody some type of motivation, advice, belief, vision, whatever it is. Like that's that's why I'm here because, like I said, I can. I can go out there and call plays and make a tackle. But if nobody believes in what we're doing or they don't see.
Why we're doing it, then I'm not doing my job.
Yeah, how would you describe your Jets to I mean, you come in here, you have one of the best two plus quarters I've ever seen against the Buffalo Bills, and unfortunately have the injury. Then you got a COVID year, and then it's the past three years where you're trying to set the foundation for something.
Man.
Once again, everything's happened for a reason, you know, coming coming here as a free agent, you know, got a pretty decent contract on paper, were looking like we can be a really a really good team contending. And one thing I told myself, like you know, obviously as a as an athlete, when you signed somewhere, no matter what sport, the work, two things you don't want to happen is
coaching changes and injuries and looking for me. I got those my first two years as a Jet, so I was was humbly blessed to have that happen to me. I got the opportunity to to revamp my mind and my body as a as a man and as a football player, and looking for me, you know, my the injuries have been very, very light, and I've been able to perform out a level obviously with the work that I put in the off season and through the season.
But you know what, our great coaching staff and you know, the people of the men and women that we have in this building to keep our minds and our bodies in the right right mind space every single day.
All right.
So the last few weeks of regular season, Aaron's out there practice, run scout team. What were those experiences.
Like, Man, I felt like we were back in training camp.
Yeah, because I honestly forgot we used to we used to make our have a little period where we used to call it so the Aaron, We'll call the offensive plays and I'll call the defensive plays. So I think maybe like a week or two after he kind of got his footing back and was really out there throwing the ball, we kind of got back to that and the competition went right back to where it was.
And like, you just.
Appreciate, appreciate those things because when he's there, it's like part of it. You know, we go to work it's like a daily routine. Then when he leaves and come back, it's just with Modrea, like how really high impressive this guy is and making throws on a surgically repaired achilles and still throwing the ball twenty yards down the field, forty yards down the field, throwing dots off that leg.
It just inspires you because you know, you could have hung it up, you could have did his training and took his time and stayed away, but you know, he wanted to be here, and he wanted to be on the sideline, and I'm obviously I'm sure he wanted to be helping coach the younger guys and keep the offense in order. And he raises the bar like even though he was on scout team, you know, it's been the same guys on scout team that we've been going against all year. Yeah, as soon as he get in there,
they're going a little bit harder. They catching a couple more passes, they running rounds a little bit more, chrisp scout offensive line jump outside. He cussing them out. So like that's that's the leadership that we need, and you know, you love to see it.
Were there moments out there the past few weeks where you're like, damn, what if this guy was out here during the season.
I mean, it's going to happen. It's we have to play our part. We understood, We understood, like, you know why the injury happened. We had a lot of injuries on the offensive side, you know, obviously the offensive line, So you know what next steps officers are like, what can we do to make sure we can stay healthy as possible for him? Because we know him on the field,
we can be really dangerous. And like I said, at the end of the day, with everything that happened, we still won seven games and we still had the opportunity to win a lot more. Those losses that we had. While did they happen, it wasn't because of Aaron. We're not gonna blame it on injury. We're not gonna blame it on the adversity is always going to be you know,
what do we do to make this happen. I'm sure if you look at those games that were close that we lost, I'm sure penalties play the factor, turned overs, play the factor or third down, and that's always gonna be a key to victory. So how can we improve and how can we be as good as we can be for when he does return, Because my mottol is, you know, he needs us more than we need him. So if we all come in with that mindset, like, hey, let's do everything we can, especially in the offensive mindset,
let me do everything I can. Let me run this route as far as I can, just to draw off this one person so he can make this throw. Like just that stuff. Listen, that mental toughness like I'm talking about. If he can do that and continue to do that and spread that through our locker room in this organization, that would build a championship mindset.
Speaking like the ultimate leader that you are. But if he comes out here next year he's healthy, have you thought of how that directly impacts the defense because oftentimes here this year you're playing from behind, so that means teams are going to be attacking you in a totally different way. Flip it on the other side, we haven't seen this defense for long stretches where like, hey, we're playing with the lead, well we're tied late. Have you thought of what that's going to look more.
In the moment, Obviously, when teams start running the ball forty times it's all right. If we had to lead just a little bit, then it might change things up. But you know, that's it's just it's part of it that it's how the games go. Like I said, we're not gonna make any excuses. They want to run it forty times, let's stop it forty times. Make them earn it.
So it doesn't matter how they try to attackers. We always have an answer, and we have the right people in our building, in our locker room to answer those answer those calls. So, like I said, man, when you just keep keep staying healthy, keep getting better, and we know he's going to be ready when he comes back, and as a defensive player, as a linebacker, as the lad going to work, ready to ready to go.
Can you speak about the importance of continuity. You touched upon it before as far as early on in your tenure here there was a coaching change. But with these guys coming back now year four, how helpful is that for you guys as a growth It's great.
You know, to think about all the any championship team, you know, the core, the core guys and the core leaders. That's the foundation of the team on all sides, offense, defense, and special teams, and I feel like we've done a great job of bringing in the right people and keeping the right people. So I have all the faith in
our upstairs department to make sure that keep happening. So I have to, like I said, we just have to control what we can control, and that's make sure that we're ready to go when it's when our name and our number is called. So no for me, no, I feel like obviously we wanted it this year, but these these are these are those small windows opportunity in this league where we can really do something.
So you fit, you fit, you fit because you've been part of winning organization before. You feel like maybe last summer you were entering that window and then you had to kind of maybe press pause on it even though you're trying to win every game. But here we go, we're entering that window again.
Yeah.
I mean the doors, the door has been open. We just got to kick it down. It's there's something behind it, that's that's that's blocking it. But we we just got to knock that door down. And I mean, it's just we was talking about it in our meeting. Man, I'm ready to play again, Yeah you are. It's tough but you know, I understand, you know what what goes on, and I understand the wins and losses of things and the disappointment and now people thinking like a higher draft
pick is going to change things. But it don't matter what number of draft pick we are. It's going to be about the man that we already have in this room and this building. So I think physically we're ready for that challenge. Mentally, we were tested a lot this year and for the most part, we held we held it down. But it's going to take a whole other level to get to where we want. It's gonna be tough, as we know, it's not gonna be easy, it's not gonna be fair.
Just got to do it.
What is this climb meant to you? Because you're trying to reach the top, right, But we talked about your tenure here, and then you couple that with the fact that Jets fans they're starving for a winner. As you know, you're part of this community. It's been thirteen years without a postseason Earth, what has the climb meant to you and how are those scars going to help you once.
You get there?
For me, it means everything you know, you you get the most out of your you know, your players when when they playing for their coaches, they're playing for their teammates, but also when they have a connection with the city. And I got connected really quick my first two years.
Like I.
Knew the history of the Jets in the past, obviously just being a football fan, being in the league when they were I mean only played, actually didn't play against the Jets the year that when I was with the Ravens, I got hurt, so I missed Actually they played the Giants and Jets back to back, so I missed those games. But when you used to look on that schedule and used to mark those off the camera already. So just from my first year here to being in that experience
to where we are now. You know, all the talk, all the hype that we had all sounds good, but it's just just a zepple managers the work that you put in and the vision that you have to have no matter what nobody says or what the results may say about you. Like I'm a champion that's in my DNA, A seven to ten record, not gonna have anything different, you know, losing the game is not gonna make me come of work any different just because that happened, So like I can care less about that. It's about how
we approach it. It's about what we're doing to change those things to make it make it better. And that's just a mental part of it. Like like I said, man, we all been playing this game so long, Like that part is easy. Now we got to figure out how to win and know how to come back from adversity and not let it get in my way.
Have you thought of your career in terms of being reflective and saying I'm past thirty, but your mindset keeps you playing at such a high level. Have you thought of your career in terms of, hey, down the line, I know I only have this many years or whatever things like that. Do you think big picture at all once you get to an off.
Season sometimes even in the season, it's really not my fault because everybody else talks about the age. Yes, So that's when I like with my hand, like, well, I'm really not I'm really not old if you if you're talk in life, but if you want to go football, I'm older. But like I feel great, And you know that's just I give credit to this organization, know bringing the right people in when I come to work, I'm not coming if even if I do come in with a with an attitude or I'm not having a good day.
As soon as I get my lineback of meeting room, and I'm good because those are my brothers.
You know.
They share the same pain, the same passion, the same love. You just got a locker room full of great people and our coaches too. So I know when you can come to work after a tough game, after tough loss, after injury, but still find joy in it and still find a way to improve and get better.
You know, that's what it's all about.
What pres you the most joy as far as playing balls concerned, because your love is clear.
Seeing my teammates have the same vision that I have. Wanted to be a champion here, wanting to change the way things I talked about the New York and wanted to be the reason why. You know, it definitely didn't happen overnight. My leadership that I that you see today, the captain that I am now the first when I first got the star, that person is definitely not who I am, not with four stars on my chest, you know, And it took a lot of scars took a lot
of battle scars. Uh I go back to twenty one of those three wins that we had felt like everything because we put in so much work and even though we weren't getting the results, we didn't we didn't change and we kept fighting to was it was tough on our defense, but when we were rewarded with wins and with victories and you know, with the big plays, you know,
it felt great. And that was because we put in the work and you can see it in our defense now, Like those are the same guys, you know, think about think about Huff, think about Brice, I mean Bryce Hall, think about Michael Carter the second, you know, think about all these guys that have the name for themselves. They started out with with nothing, they wanted to earn it. Think about Tha. Speaking about earning his first training camp in Rick asked people ask the guys like, like, what
you want to do? What's your goal here? He say, I want to take somebody's spot, not look at them. So that's those the type of man that we have to have to get what we want.
Are you gonna watch the playoffs?
I probably turned it on and just flip through the channels. So we'll see it.
Is it hard as a competitor or is it something that you can watch?
Uh, it's definitely hard because I know we can.
We can, we'll playoff team, well, we will playoff caliber team, but we didn't. We didn't earn it this year. You know, we didn't or we didn't take it away, you know what I'm saying. So it's like I could be salty, but can I really because it's a team sport and we didn't. We didn't play to our standard this year. Like I said, We're not gonna make any excuses. Every every team has to go through adversity. Every championship team
has to go through adversity. So it's how it's how can we get over that hump or how can we handle this adversity and not let it mess up or not let it carry on a losing streak? So how can we fix it and get it right and not let it happen again?
How are you gonna approach the off season personally?
For me, thankfully, no no injuries, so don't have any surgery, no setback, so obviously take the small little break that we have. But for me, just just take another step in in this defense just reviewing. You know, myself goes obviously Number one is hands, jugs, one interception, fifteen pass deflection. So just work on just small things I can work on, man and with this defense, you know, I feel like every single every single game, I learned something new on
our defense. So that's always the sighting for me to try to master something new on our defense. If I for offense, give us a new scheme or they a new blocking scheme. Soon as soon as that plays over, like I'm on the sideline, like, all right, bet, how can we fix it? What defense are we in? What line? I mean, what defensive line is going to make this cut? Which which nickelback of which safety is about to be in the box if they do this? So, I mean that's just it just gets me. It gets me decided.
So yeah, just just grow.
So you're gonna hit the jucks, hit your hands on a lot of balls. We're gonna have more interceptions for defense, for the defense, even though you guys have made a major step forward in terms of the takeaways this year.
Yeah, good defense, good defense. I remember why they played, but great ones. I remember from scoring. Let's let's go some points.
Let's score some points. I like that, c J as always appreciate your time. Looking forward to seeing man back here at the Spring for sure, excited for it.