Lost in the Sauce

If you have been watching the New York Jets this season, you may be surprised by their winning record. Winning hasn’t been a staple of the Jets for the past decade, so when analysts made predictions for the Gang Green, they didn’t think of the potential defensive talent held by the team. But the past 10 games have made it clear that the defense of the Jets is leaps and bounds ahead of the previous year, and one man in the secondary is making their name heard around the league: cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner.

Gardner was drafted by New York as the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was known for his major accomplishments on the Cincinnati Bearcats, including AAC Defensive Player of the Year, Consensus All-American, and three-time first team All-AAC. However, his most notable success, which helped him get drafted, was that he never allowed a touchdown in his three-year college career through over 1,000 snaps.

Sauce is continuing this trend in the NFL and has allowed only one touchdown with two interceptions and 14 pass deflections. PFF Player Grades ranked Gardner top three in all categories for cornerbacks and first overall out of all cornerbacks in the league.

His dominance with the pros is not surprising, considering his physical attributes, football IQ, and swagger. At 6’3”, Gardner is the sixth tallest corner in the league. His length has made him a nuisance to opposing wide receivers. With his size, Gardner can control where his targets can run and prevent quarterbacks from getting open throws to their receivers, proven by the fact that he is leading the NFL in pass deflections. Gardner’s ability to stop receptions has earned him a strong reputation. “When you add that to the field with his natural instincts, his length, his play speed, it has come together to be a really outstanding start to an NFL career,” Jets general manager Joe Douglas said about Gardner’s abilities.

Douglas is referring to Gardner’s football IQ when he describes Gardner’s “natural instincts.” He is able to make adjustments on the fly to combat a receiver’s routes. “The biggest thing, in order to play fast, is film study and having a high IQ for football. It seems like he’s a student of the game, and he’s ready to take any challenge on when it comes to playing at a high level,” former seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis said about Gardner. Gardner has clearly shown to the world that he is able to make quick reads and prevent catches through his in-game awareness.

Sauce’s claim to fame, his swagger, is arguably the most important part of his game. He has the confidence to do what he believes is the right play. He never doubts his ability, and he is always sure of what he needs to do to win. His swagger started when Gardner received the nickname “Sauce” as a six-year-old after his little league football coach called him “A1 Sauce Sweet Feet Gardner,” which was shortened to “Sauce.” “My personal meaning is a level of confidence. When I’m on and off the field, I make sure I’ve got the sauce,” Gardner said. He shows his sauce off the field as well, wearing a cheesehead at Lambeau Field to taunt Packers fans after the Jets won the 27-10 upset off the back of the Jets defense. This moment shows how Sauce is confident and not scared of anything, not even a stadium full of angry Packers fans, nor the bright lights and big moments.

Sauce has combined these three attributes to become one of the best in the league. He has become a top candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year and even Defensive Player of the Year.

Before Sauce was drafted, the Jets’ defense was going nowhere. They were ranked worst in the NFL, and the only upside was a top pick in the draft. But now, with key additions of Jordan Whitehead, D.J. Reed, and their first pick of Gardner, their defense is a force to be reckoned with, ranking as top six in the league. Though quarterback struggles have held back the Jets’ offense, their defense has more often than not made up the difference, winning games that would have been out of reach the previous year. The Jets will be the team to look out for, with Gardner commanding the secondary and a chance to make the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.