Jets Nathaniel Hackett finally responds to insults from Broncos’ Sean Payton. What did he say?
In the wake of an outright feud, the former Broncos coach turned OC for the New York Jets has finally responded to the insults that were thrown his way.
From coaches to players and the fans to the press, it seems everybody has had something to say about the war of words between the Broncos and the Jets, which all started when Sean Payton took aim at former Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett. Now we’ve heard for the first time from the man who was targeted.
A recap of the Nathaniel Hackett situation
If you’ve been following our reports, then you must know that the Jets and Broncos have been engaged in a verbal spat over the last week. Starting with Denver’s new head coach Sean Payton, who laid into his predecessor, Nathaniel Hackett, things got heated very quickly. To be clear, Payton referred to Hackett’s 2022 season in Denver, one which ended when he was fired in December after guiding the team to a 4-11 record in 15 games, as “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL.” As bad as that was, Payton didn’t stop there as he proceeded to go after the New York Jets, where Hackett is now the new offensive coordinator.
Alluding to the off-field activities of the Jets - their appearance in HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ - as something he wouldn’t allow as it serves only as a distraction from what matters, Payton incurred the wrath of Jets head coach Robert Saleh, who spoke of “a lot of crows pecking at our necks”, as well as a reaction of surprise from new Jets quarterback and four-time MVP, Aaron Rodgers. “...Keep my coaches’ names out of his mouth,” Rodgers said after expressing his shock at the idea that a coach in the league would choose to openly criticize another. This brings us to the present, where Hackett has finally given his own take on the situation.
What did Nathaniel Hackett say?
Speaking on Tuesday, Hackett addressed Payton’s comments publicly for the first time, saying that he believed that Payton had crossed a line in terms of how things are done between coaches in the NFL. “I’ve been involved in this business my whole life, 43 years, and as a coach, as a coach’s kid, we live in a glass house,” Hackett said. “We know that...And it’s one of those things that there’s a code, there’s a way things are done in that house. This past week, it’s frustrating and it sucks, but we’re all susceptible to it. There are things you do, mistakes you make, and it costs you time on the field, costs you your job, all those things, and I own all that stuff.” Hackett went on to explain that he has never met Payton, before disclosing that the new Broncos head coach had not contacted him to apologize for his comments, despite Payton saying he would contact the Jets and moreover that he regretted what he said.
Ultimately, Hackett’s focus appears to be on nothing else besides preparing the Jets for the coming season, which in effect is the way it should be. “It’s not about me. This game is about no one man,” Hackett said. “I don’t care what anybody says. We’ve got this really cool guy on our team, his name is Aaron Rodgers, really, really good football player, better person. But the brilliance of Aaron is that he knows more people. I know that as a coach we can only control so much in everything that we do no matter what your role is. So it’s not about one guy. Sometimes, things are said that are totally uncalled for, and it does bring the team together, and I think that’s the beautiful thing.”
Was Nathaniel Hackett’s time in Denver THAT bad?
Interestingly enough, Hackett didn’t shy away from the notion that his time in charge of the Broncos didn’t go well. On the other hand, he also indicated that it’s now part of the past. “I’ve got no excuses,” he said. “That’s how we live here at the New York Jets, that’s how we’ve lived everywhere I’ve been - no excuses. So I own all those things. It’s unfortunate that that had to happen, that the comments that were made, but hey, they did.” Hackett also admitted that it surprised him that such comments were made here and now during the offseason, as opposed to before the teams play each other during the season. “I’ll tell you: I was probably more surprised that they happened now,” Hackett said. “[I] was definitely expecting them in Week 5 (when the Jets visit the Broncos), so I’m almost thankful that we got that out of the way. We all understand where certain people feel and think. I’ll tell you, you can always look at that silver lining.”
So, how about Nathaniel Hackett’s time in New York
Though he’s not been there long, it would appear that Hackett has already made a positive impression, such that the way in which he’s been treated is something that’s left a mark on him. “This organization, these players, the coaches, [Robert] Saleh, just the entire organization, [owner] Woody [Johnson], [president] Hymie [Elhai], [executive Eric] Gelfand, everybody has been unbelievable,” he said. “I think that’s something that is just awesome. It’s brought our team together, even the old players that I’ve coached very recently, just being able to hear them. It makes you realize that you do this for a very specific reason - for the love of the game, for the love of teaching, for the love of watching people grow. There’s up and downs. Never get too high, never get too low. Gotta love this stuff.”