NFL News

‘Nobody’s Perfect, But I Still Try to Be’

‘Nobody’s Perfect, But I Still Try to Be’


Jets rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner would never profess to being perfect. But that doesn’t mean he’ll suspend his quest.

“As a cornerback, nobody’s perfect, but I still try to be,” Gardner told reporters on Tuesday, the first day of mandatory minicamp at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. “If not perfect, be consistent, be fundamentally sound. I try to be perfect, but there’s no such thing.”

The early 411 on the No. 4 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft is that he was never beaten for a touchdown reception in his three seasons at Cincinnati. In three seasons at Cincinnati, Gardner had 9 INTS and didn’t allow a TD. In 2021, he allowed only 13 catches for 117 yards according to PFF College, while grabbing 3 INTS, 3 sacks and 4 PDs.

“Yeah, I’ve gotten beaten before. Nobody is perfect,” he said. “The best receivers I’ve guarded are probably Jameson Williams, Calvin Austin, I remember I guarded Garrett [Wilson, now a teammate] in like the fourth quarter my freshman year in college. So, yeah, those are probably the best receivers I went up against. It’s just a tribute to putting the work in, the unseen work, required hours. Just making sure I practice to be consistent because I know nobody is perfect and that’s just what came with it.”

During last week’s OTA sessions, Gardner’s performance was one of the most dissected and remarked upon by all observers — coaches, players and the media.

“Sauce doesn’t repeat errors,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said on Tuesday, using Gardner’s ubiquitous nickname. “He’s a guy who’s hungry to learn. Most of the time he figures things out on his own, he’s got a thirst for the game. If he does make an error, he goes immediately to his coaches to figure it out and it doesn’t happen again. There are not going to be a lot of rookie moments for him.”

Gardner wasted no time when he became the quickest Jets’ first-round pick to sign his rookie deal (four years ,with a team option for a fifth) in the last 40 years. After wearing…

Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at News…