Hill: Ashton Jeanty’s trash talk of Jets reminds us sports are supposed to be fun

Ashton Jeanty’s comments questioning the willingness of some Jets defenders to tackle has added unexpected juice to what might have been just another Week 8 game between rebuilding AFC teams.

The gasps were audible but tough to hear over the sound of all the pearls being clutched.

It’s the kind of thing NFL coaches dread. The kind of quotes organizations hold meetings to warn their players not to make out of fear of providing “bulletin board material” that can be used as motivation by an opponent.

You know, the kind of thing that makes sports fun.

One must look no further than what happened Friday in San Francisco. It had to be one of the most entertaining October basketball games in years, all because of one unfiltered rookie who had the audacity to say what he believed.

Golden State forward Yaxel Lendeborg has entered the NBA with a brashness that has made him one of the league’s most polarizing figures. He’s not afraid to offer opinions, even when they take aim at one of the league’s biggest stars in Lakers guard Luka Doncic. And it’s tremendous.

So when the teams rematched nine days after Lendeborg essentially called Doncic a flopping crybaby, Warriors fans were turned up about eight notches for an early season rematch. So was Doncic, who embarrassed the rookie in the first quarter to quiet the crowd.

Then Lendeborg’s veteran Warriors teammates took control and brought the crowd back to life and won what was an entertaining NBA regular-season game. Even Steph Curry seemed to be rejuvenated by the energy Lendeborg created.

Thank you, Yaxel.

Also, as an Ann Arbor, Michigan, native, thanks also for that national championship. But that’s not what this column is about.

The point is that trash-talking is awesome. These are supposed to be games that are the best form of entertainment on earth. Why not play it up?

But this is the modern NFL.

So Jeanty said what he said, and instead of firing back, the Jets mostly demurred out of fear their words would end up being played over a montage of missed tackles or Jeanty touchdowns if things don’t work out for them Sunday.

Say this for Jeanty, who has not lived up to the hype of a top-10 pick or his lofty expectations: He wants the smoke. You have to appreciate that. And maybe this is the kind of thing that will spark a big game. Or at least a 20-yard run, which he has not had yet this year.

Either way, he was willing to put himself out there to the point fans of both teams have something extra to watch. Even those who ordinarily might have seen only brief snippets of the game on RedZone now might find a way to tune in to the action.

It has been a great topic for the national shows. And you can guess the topic when a Raiders writer turned on his TV upon arriving in the New York area Saturday.

Once the game starts, all eyes will be on Jeanty against the Jets’ defense early on. There will probably be a big roar from the crowd after the first big hit on him.

But his comments are unlikely to have any impact on the game’s outcome. Ignore the fact the Raiders have been outscored 133-82 since Klint Kubiak’s halftime interview against the Chiefs when he said the Raiders were going to win. That’s a coincidence, not evidence.

Because while trash talk might ratchet up the intensity or drive the narrative, it doesn’t matter. Jeanty’s words probably will be mentioned by the Jets in a pregame speech or huddle. But then the game becomes the game.

If the Jets win, they probably will clap back. Then it will be mostly forgotten, and we can move on to the next story.

Because despite all the lengths coaches go to stop their team from saying anything fun or interesting about the opponent that could be interpreted in a negative way, none of it matters between the whistles.

So let’s bring some of this back. Hopefully Lendeborg, and to some extent Jeanty, can set a new precedent.

Lighten up, everyone. Don’t be as scared of providing extra motivation as Jeanty claims the Jets are of tackling.

Contact Adam Hill at [email protected]. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.