Aaron Rodgers’ obsession with Liev Schreiber had always been clear — even when the quarterback appeared frustrated with the Jets getting selected as the “Hard Knocks” training camp destination.
During an interview with KPIX last month at the American Century Championship, Rodgers blasted the HBO show — which aired its first episode Tuesday night — and said they “forced it down our throats.”
Still, Rodgers said, he hoped to meet Schreiber.
That has already happened during the first few weeks of the Jets’ training camp.
It led to Schreiber making a rare practice appearance, arriving in a helicopter that circled the Florham Park field and eventually resting on a landing pad with the Jets logo.
And once Schreiber arrived, Rodgers called him the “voice of God” and kept encouraging the Jets’ other quarterbacks to introduce themselves.
“Go and say hi,” Rodgers told offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. “Don’t be an a–hole. … He’s nervous. He wants to meet people, feel comfortable.
He’s never been to a ‘Hard Knocks’ practice. …
“Just say hi. Just be nice. Look at him. He got all dressed up for it. Looks great. Lean, slim.”
Rodgers has been a Schreiber fan since his “24/7” days, he said, while also following along with his movies.
Schreiber, who thanked Rodgers for the comments, also asked why “Hard Knocks” has become a show with a negative connotation for some.
“I think people are worried about it being a distraction,” Rodgers said. There’s a lot of misnomers about it. I’ve had a great experience.”
Schreiber told Rodgers that he thinks “it’s a great show,” though he added that “I don’t do anything.”
“Really, they write it — I’m just ripping off John Facenda,” Schreiber said, referencing the late broadcaster and NFL Films narrator.
Their back-and-forth returned again at the end of the episode, too, when Rodgers informed head coach Robert Saleh that Schreiber was, in fact, the voice behind the “Hard Knocks.”
Rodgers and Schreiber also engaged in a conversation about Rodgers being from Chico, Calif. even though he’s not a surfing fan.
Rodgers later clarified that he enjoys surfing but simply can’t keep his position.
And for as much as Rodgers enjoyed having Schreiber at the practice, and for as much as he tried to make everyone else on the Jets feel that way, too, Schreiber was thrilled that Rodgers decided to join the Jets in the offseason, too.
“You made a lot of New Yorkers very happy,” Schreiber said.
“So far,” Rodgers replied.