After two sensational seasons to start his career, Sauce Gardner struggled through an off Year 3.
The new brass, led by coach Aaron Glenn and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, are pushing Gardner to push his game to another level.
Message received.
"I know I'm not perfect, but the fact that he's trying to get perfection out of me is what I need because, you know, I've had a lot of success, early success in the league," Gardner said, via ESPN's Rich Cimini. "And the last thing I need is a new regime to come in here and just allow me to be complacent.
"I'm not saying that's who I am, but it's great to just have those type of guys that are going to demand a lot out of me and just push me in ways that I've never been pushed before."
Gardner rejected the notion that his 2024 was subpar, saying it went "pretty smooth."
"It's never as bad as people try to paint it to be," he said.
The stats don't paint a pretty picture. Gardner finished 47th among qualifying corners in EPA per target last year, via Next Gen Stats. In the previous two campaigns, he finished second (2022) and 13th (2023) in EPA/target.
Wilks acknowledged that Gardner is already one of the best at his position, with a rare size/speed combination, but believes there is another level the corner can take to become that "dominant" lockdown defender.
"He's very gifted, and I told him, 'Sometimes your greatest strength is your greatest weakness,'" Wilks told Cimini. "He's a guy that sometimes at 85%, he's still better than everybody around him. So his thing is -- and I told him, 'compete against yourself.' That's where he has to get better, which he will."
Glenn added that he's pushing Gardner to be a leader by example.
"Here's what I've talked to him about, about who he needs to be," Glenn said. "When you do lead, just let your influence do all the talking. How do you operate in the huddle and with the players in the locker room? That speaks more than the rah-rah guy. He understands that because influence, to me, is really what leadership is about."
It's easy to dismiss last year's lull from Gardner, as the entire Jets team floundered. The new coaching staff wants to ensure that the down campaign was a fluke, not a trend.
