In August 2014, with Aaron Rodgers having his second MVP season and Joe Tipman still six years away from playing college football in the same state, the Packers had to make a last-minute turnaround.
Starting center JC Tretter suffered a knee injury in the preseason that ruled him out of the regular season.
Corey Linsley, a fifth-round pick that year, rose through the ranks and started all 16 games as a rookie, and the Green Bay offensive line, which Rodgers said Wednesday was “probably the best line we’ve had in years,” put itself in a position where one blown lead and one botched onside kick would send it to the Super Bowl.
The Jets’ center prospects for 2024 are different.
There were no injuries that forced a last-minute substitution.
Tiffman will be entering his sophomore season.
But Rogers didn’t mention Tiffman in his response to questions about the Jets’ caliber and atmosphere during his first training camp press conference.
This year, Tiffman, a 2023 second-round pick, entered camp as the undisputed center.
He won’t be bouncing back and forth between that spot and guard like he did last year.
He won’t be playing alternately between the first and second teams.
Tiffman is expected to be a key piece of an offensive line with 30 years of NFL experience as a rookie.
And Rodgers, a 40-year-old quarterback, wants to “empower” Tiffman and see him “win” like Lindsley did 10 seasons ago.
“He stepped in and got those guys moving and they listened to him,” Rodgers said of Linsley. “I [Tippmann] We need to empower leadership so they can do that.”
The stability at training camp helped.
Last year, Tipman was a contender to take the job from Connor McGovern.
He made his first NFL start at right guard in Week 3 following Duane Brown’s injury.
But on Nov. 6, just eight weeks into the season, Tipman was at center when McGovern suffered a season-ending knee injury.
The results were promising.
He has allowed just three sacks and seven of his eight penalties have come since his transition, according to Pro Football Focus, but he has adapted to his new role. In December, coach Robert Saleh predicted Tiffman would be a “very good center for a long time,” laying the groundwork for 2024.
During a June OTA session, longtime Jets center Nick Mangold helped Tippmann with technique and footwork. Tippmann asked questions and was given Mangold’s number, which he said he could call or text anytime.
And Tiffman applied these insights to his daily life.
“Running around and doing everything definitely helped me become a better player because I was able to see what a great center can do from a guard standpoint, how I can help them, how I can elevate my game,” Tippmann said Thursday. “But it’s a good feeling to focus on one position, one skill, learn both, and not have a little bit of the mental burden of going out there and executing both every day.”
If Tiffman has a productive season, it would be his latest step toward establishing himself in the Jets’ long-term plans.
But in the short term, he’ll likely continue to be a consistent presence in a unit that allowed 64 sacks in 2023.
Right guard Alija Vera-Tucker returned to team practice last week and will gradually increase her rep limit after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Right tackle Morgan Moses was also moving toward a return last weekend.
The left side of the line (Tyron Smith at tackle and John Simpson at guard) is already intact.
And at the center of it all is, quite literally, Tiffany.
He impressed Smith by being “very mature for his age”, something Rogers also praised.
This is exactly what the Jets expected when they drafted Tiffman out of Wisconsin.
This is what is needed to make the offense function this season as well.
Then, and perhaps then, Tiffman could be the centerpiece of a long postseason run, much like Linsley was for Rodgers’ young center.
“Tippmann has definitely really blossomed this year,” said Vera-Tucker, also calling him a “technician.” “Yes, he is. [Tippmann]He’s going to be a great player.”
