Andre Cisco was soaking in all the thrills of his first game with the Jets at MetLife Stadium last weekend. Having grown up in Valley Stream and attended many Jets games in that building as a fan, being on the field and in uniform was a special moment.
“Man, what an awesome atmosphere,” he said. “I’ve been there multiple times since I was in the NFL [as a member of the Jaguars] and even though it was an away stadium for the day [as a Giants home game], to be home and to feel that turf and be in that stadium felt very special.”
The euphoria lasted two snaps.
Three plays into that game, Giants quarterback Russell Wilson launched a deep pass down the middle of the field and rookie receiver Beaux Collins caught it on a simple post route for an 80-yard gain. Cisco managed to make the tackle at the 1 to save a touchdown — at least momentarily — but he was caught badly out of position on the pass. It was Cisco’s fault. He was the deepest player and he let his coverage get behind him.
“That was one where it wasn’t indicative of who we are,” defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said. “You talk about Cisco, a routine assignment like that, he makes that play every day for us just staying in the post, and as soon as he came off the field, he knew that. Our talent level and the things that we can accomplish out there is phenomenal, but we can’t beat ourselves.”
Welcome home, kid.
“Obviously a great throw by Russ,” Cisco said. “He put it in a spot that for me I should have been in. I was a little out of position. It’s something that is routine for me, honestly. A little uncharacteristic to get out of position on that. It’s something we have to clean up.”
The way Cisco handled that error, though, says more about him and the philosophy head coach Aaron Glenn is trying to build on a very young roster than the flub itself. Glenn has stressed wanting the players to have an “emotional maturity,” to learn from the bad things that inevitably happen on a football field during a game without allowing them to linger. As a young veteran in his fifth NFL season, Cisco’s job is to be a strong role model as much as a solid player.
So he has owned that play and he shared with others what he took from it.
“Man, you are never above it,” Cisco said. “It’s a reminder that the fundamentals and the things you have to check on mentally every play before the play starts, you are never above it, you never grow past those things. A great reminder in a preseason game. I obviously want to get that off the tape. I hate that it happened to me but, as a collective, we all can learn from it.”
That’s why Glenn didn’t reem Cisco out or embarrass him in the film study after the game.
Not that he ignored it. There was accountability, that buzzword that has been bandied about regarding the Jets for the last few years. Cisco said Glenn noted the play, just indirectly.
“He addressed the team about things we have to get better at, and I was clearly a part of that in terms of things we didn’t do well Saturday night,” Cisco said. “He just talked about the disappointment of a play like that. We know it’s not a talent thing or an ability thing, it’s more so just mentally being focused.”
That mature approach was also found on the sideline when Cisco came off the field from his gaffe.
“He handled it great,” defensive backs coach Chris Harris said. “My coaching style, I’m a little different. They’ll never meet an enemy on the sideline in me. I don’t believe in that. As a former player I didn’t want to meet an enemy when I came to the sideline when I did something that was less than stellar, so I try to take that approach.
“So we talk. We have discussions. Cisco is a great player and he’s going to be really good for us this season. It was just one of those things that happened, he’ll learn from it, and he’ll get better from it.”
Cisco said it is the nature of his position — most of them, really — that a player can do all the right things over and over again to take away a route like that post the Giants ran. The quarterback sees his man is covered and moves on to his next read. But if there is a slip-up or misstep that leaves it open…
“The one time you are out of position you pay for it,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it is motivation. But it’s a good reminder of the cost of not doing your job.”
On Friday night Cisco was back at MetLife Stadium with the Jets. This time it was an actual home game, not a Giants event. He went through his warmups and pregame routine, heard that familiar J-E-T-S chant he once participated in as a fan, but like most of the other starters he did not participate in the exhibition against the Eagles. There was no chance to make amends, to prove to his new team that his glitch was a one-off.
The next time he actually plays will be in the Sept. 7 opener against the Steelers and Aaron Rodgers at MetLife Stadium. He’ll be carrying with him the lessons from that preseason pass he messed up on… and with any luck never again repeating it.
“I am excited for the rest of the season,” Cisco said.
It didn’t start as great as he always imagined it would, but it’s not too late to overcome that.
