NEW ORLEANS – When adversity presents itself in any situation, it is usually never the natural reaction to overcome it.
Adversity weighs on a person, sometimes to the point when it seems too hard to let go of.
For the New York Jets, despite all their talent in 2024, adversity faced them from seemingly all facets in a 5-12 roller coaster of a season. However, the greatest part of adversity is the natural lessons it teaches, and Jets star defenders Jermaine Johnson and Quincy Williams learned something valuable through their personal and team struggles.
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For Johnson, the personal tribulation happened almost immediately in the regular season. A torn Achilles was the result of what Johnson said he knew was something serious in Tennessee for the team’s Week 2 game against the Titans. The cart coming out and the towel over his head said it all.
Johnson spoke to Fox News Digital on behalf of Bounty ahead of Super Bowl LIX when he revealed the lesson he learned in overcoming the first major injury he has had to recover from in his NFL career.
“What I’ve been through with this whole experience is me getting to where I am in life, it doesn’t matter what you’re presented with. It matters how you respond to what you’re presented with,” he said. “So, I just had to make sure I responded the right way and came out swinging every day. That’s what I did, and now I’m ready to help these guys swing.”
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Johnson thanked his doctors and rehab staff for getting him right, as well as teammate Aaron Rodgers, who suffered a similar Achilles tear in 2023 after just four snaps into his Jets tenure. Miami Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips is also someone Johnson mentioned as helpful throughout his rehab process.
Additionally, Johnson heard the news he has wanted to hear since his surgery was successful.
“This past Saturday, I’m pretty much in the clear,” he revealed. “Now, [my doctor] is like, ‘This thing is not re-tearing. You’re good, you’re in the clear.’”
Johnson said his doctor even noted he could be more explosive post-injury because of how well the rehab went, which is rare for injuries of this sort.
While Johnson was focused on getting back right for the Jets next season, he was also watching his brothers on the gridiron dealing with tough losses, speculation and reports from the media about lack of cohesion in the team’s building and more.
They might have finished the year with a win over the Miami Dolphins, but this was supposed to be a team ready to break their playoff drought, which now stands at 14 years.
Williams was a key piece in yet another top-three Jets defense in yards allowed per game. However, after dealing with another season under .500, Williams said he has learned about being dealt certain cards just like Johnson had – just in a different way.
“Basically, no matter what in life, you’re always going to hit adversity,” Williams said. “But it’s all about how you respond. It’s kind of crazy because it’s all about what he said, but I learned that lesson in a different way. What’s most important at the end of the day is just keeping the outside noise the outside noise.”
Williams even shaded some of that outside noise.
“I did learn one thing, though. A lot of people don’t have a clue what they be talking about. So, perspective is a very huge thing,” he added.
Even though the Jets once again did not meet expectations, two key players for the team’s future are looking optimistically into the future, taking the bad times and learning from them to make sure the right path is taken in 2025.
Of course, injuries come with playing in the NFL. Sometimes, those are totally unavoidable.
However, Johnson and Williams are showing that these players are ones hunting wins, wanting to get better even in the worst of times.
That certainly bodes well for new head coach Aaron Glenn and his staff, with a Jets locker room “tired of losing,” as both players mentioned.
STAYING CLEAN WITH BOUNTY
Another Super Bowl means another Super Bowl party that many will be attending this year. That means there will be some delicious eats, and wings are usually on the menu no matter where you go for the “Big Game.”
That was what Johnson and Williams were munching on during the interview, and the former even dropped a wing, which spoke to the reason why they both partnered with Bounty. They needed a sturdy paper towel to clean it up.
“You can have all the best food in the world, you can have the best party, but think about how messed up things can get with somebody’s hands all dirty, somebody spilled something. Look, what I’ve learned in life is, you may not be responsible for the mess, or you may be. Nevertheless, you need something to clean it up and do a good job. So, we got Bounty.”
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