The Jets and the Giants appear to have a budding feud going on in New York and Aaron Rodgers is at the middle of it.
Rodgers was the main focus of HBO's "Hard Knocks" this week and during the episode, there was a lengthy clip that showed the veteran QB talking trash to Jihad Ward during the Jets' 32-24 preseason win over the Giants.
In the clip, which you can see below, Rodgers starts talking trash after Ward appears to shove him following a throw by the QB.
The Giants defensive end was asked about the clip this week and he definitely was not happy with how he was portrayed. Ward was upset because he didn't feel like the clip told the whole story. According to Ward, things got chippy because Jets receiver Randall Cobb put a big hit on Bobby McCain, which put the Giants safety into concussion protocol.
After the hit happened, the Jets appeared to be laughing in the huddle and that's what really set Ward off.
"They know what they did. I know what [Cobb] did, coaches know what he did, my teammates know what he did," Ward said, via ESPN.com. "I'm the only one sticking up for [McCain]."
Ward said that everyone on the Giants sideline was upset that the Jets appeared to be laughing.
"Everybody going to get pissed off at that. The whole team was pissed off, you know what I'm saying?" Ward said. "It's preseason and all that stuff and you're going to do some reaction like that? It's cool, though. That's how they roll. I think we play them soon, it is what it is."
Rodgers was asked on Thursday about the accusation that the Jets were laughing at the injury and he had some fiery words for Ward.
"So he thought we were laughing at his teammate? That never happened and I think he's making shit up," the Jets QB said, via the New York Post.
Based on the clip, it seemed that the Jets were joking around because everyone was surprised that Cobb made a hit on anyone at all at age 33.
As for Ward, he also took issue with HBO for making it look like the Jets were the good guys.
"See, the thing is, they're going to entertain. They're going to show his part -- HBO, whatever stuff is going on, 'Hard Knocks.' They're going to show his part," Ward said of Rodgers. "They weren't even in the whole scenario of what really went down. They're going to show his side of the story. ... It's all about Aaron Rodgers at the [end] of the day. They sign him, it is what it is. They're going to show his part and make me look like a sucker. But I ain't going for that."
There hasn't been much of a rivalry between the Jets and Giants in recent years, but a new one might be brewing and the best part is that these two teams will be seeing each other again soon: The two teams will be playing each other at MetLife Stadium in Week 8 (Oct. 29).