Cade Klubnik had one clear takeaway from Jets-Bucs joint practices

We’re not sure how his long hair would have gone over in the 1960s, but New York Jets rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik certainly has an old-school opinion on football.

This week’s joint practices between the Jets and Buccaneers featured numerous altercations, including multiple brief skirmishes on Wednesday. Speaking with reporters after practice, Klubnik called the joint sessions “really competitive” and said he wished he’d had similar opportunities while at Clemson.

Klubnik also addressed the various fights and how physical things were in the trenches, and it should have brought a smile to Jets fans’ faces.

“It’s a violent sport, and you definitely saw that up front, and it was fun,” Klubnik said. “It was [great] to be able to see our guys really attack in between the whistles and go make plays.”

Oh, yes.

New York Jets fans should love Cade Klubnik’s latest comments

By and large, we typically don’t hear players take the “we hate them, and they hate us” mindset, even in the NFL. But as the league has attempted to promote player safety with numerous rule changes, those players have shied away from referencing violence or the brutal hits that we grew up watching — and, for us ‘90s kids, using to our advantage in Madden. 

So to hear a player — and a rookie, at that — acknowledge that football is a “violent sport” is incredibly refreshing and encouraging. Klubnik fully understands how the sport works, and he’s not afraid to call things for exactly what they are. Football is violent and brutal, and things do get heated.

Jets fans have rallied around Klubnik throughout the offseason, and Wednesday’s candor should only endear him to the fanbase even further. He’s a participant in a gladiator sport, and he knows just how painful a blindside hit can be. The NFL introducing the blue concussion tent doesn’t take away from the fact that Klubnik is at risk of getting pulverized once he leaves the pocket and becomes a runner.

But will that deter him during Friday’s opener against the Buccaneers? Absolutely not. Every quarterback knows that if you can’t handle the heat, you won’t last long in the kitchen. You’ll be out back making space in the dumpster. 

To be clear, this isn’t a call for football to return to the days of helmet-to-helmet hits and late collisions that don’t get flagged. There is no denying, though, that the NFL has worked incredibly hard to change the dangerous realities of professional football. Players no longer leave “Madden” games with a concussion. 

The bottom line is that Klubnik is willing to say what fans want and need to hear. Physicality is good, as is the intensity the Jets and Buccaneers both brought to practice. Luckily, no one on either side suffered an injury during any of the clashes. 

Next up for Klubnik is taking the first step in validating the Jets’ decision to take him in the fourth round — and restarting the hype train, of course. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow