INDIANAPOLIS – Hopefully, a chaotic week is eased by eight-plus hours of peace and quiet on a chartered jet.
At least, that’s Sauce Gardner’s hope.
The All-Pro cornerback described his relocation from the New York Jets to the Indianapolis Colts as “the craziest 48 hours of my life.’’
Monday, Gardner was a $120 million cornerstone of the Jets.
Tuesday, he was headed to Indy after General Manager Chris Ballard pulled the trigger on the biggest trade of his nine-year tenure. To acquire one of the NFL’s premier cornerbacks, the Colts parted with two first-round draft picks and wide receiver AD Mitchell.
“I actually was (lying) in bed with my girl and I was chillin’,’’ Gardner said Thursday afternoon.
Then, Jets General Manager Darren Mougey called to inform him of the blockbuster deal.
Gardner’s name was never floated as a possible trade candidate prior to Tuesday’s deadline, and he hadn’t asked for a trade from the 1-7 Jets.
“I don’t think that’s something that I will ever do,’’ he said. “It’s a blessing to just be able to play on Sundays.’’
But he knew something was up when Mougey interrupted his morning.
“Obviously, the trade deadline was coming up, so I was just like, ‘Please let it be my ideal situation,’’’ Gardner said. “I don’t want to go to a losing team. I don’t want to go to a team that’s on the other side of the world. So, when he told me the Colts . . . I want to win. So, it was a great situation.’’
It took some time for the surprise move to settle in.
“I’m not gonna lie,’’ he said. “I didn’t even have time to process it all the way. I just knew I was coming to a great situation. I was running in circles in the house because the first thing I’m thinking is, ‘I’m gonna be back with my boy, Alec (Pierce) and they’re winning right now’. And I knew what I could add. I was happy. I didn’t have time to be like, ‘Dang, I’m getting traded.’’’
He didn’t view it as being discarded by the Jets.
“It was less about the Jets wanting to trade me and more about the Colts wanting me to be here,’’ Gardner said. “It’s a great group of guys already here, and that’s what makes it even more special. Dominant offense, dominant defense. I’m just grateful to be a part of something that they were already building here.’’
With that phone call, Gardner went from the 1-7 Jets to the 7-2 Colts.
Gardner was on a flight to Indy Tuesday evening and on the practice field Wednesday. Along with getting a crash course on Lou Anarumo’s defense, he had to be cleared from the NFL’s concussion protocol, which occurred on Thursday.
His anticipation for Sunday’s game?
“Just go out there and ball,’’ he said.
But not before the team’s eight-hour flight to Berlin. Unless he’s told otherwise, Gardner won’t spend a ton of time going over the defense on his iPad.
He said he’s “barely slept’’ since the trade.
“So, I’m looking forward to this flight,’’ Gardner said, “because it’s every single minute that I’ve had being here in Indianapolis, I’m doing something . . . whether it’s with the trainers, whether it’s filling out paperwork, whether it’s practice, watching film.
“Yeah, I’m going to tell them not to download the film on my iPad for the flight because I know I would end up watching it.’’
Christmas comes early
Jerome Henderson didn’t attempt to hide his elation when Ballard finalized the trade for Gardner.
“Oh, jumpin’ up and down,’’ the Colts’ defensive backs coach said Thursday. “It was like Christmas morning, you know? Getting up to go downstairs and unwrap some gifts and you’re like, ‘Holy wow, look at what mom and dad got me.’
“Really excited the organization decided to go all-in on him. It makes us a real formidable force . . . with the trio that we’ve got with Kenny (Moore II), Mooney (Charvarius Ward) and him. We’re going to be pretty tough to handle.’’
Ballard signed Ward to a three-year contract worth a maximum of $60 million in the offseason with the idea Anarumo could assign him to the opposing team’s top receiver.
Now, the Colts have two corners capable of locking onto specific receivers, and allowing Anarumo to run his scheme as it’s intended.
“We want to play man,’’ Henderson said. “You want to be able to take away all that space. There’s times for you to play zone, but when it comes down to it and you want to get off the field, you’ve gotta play man.
“When it’s nut-cutting time and we want to win the game, you’re going to have to be able to man up and take their guys away.’’
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.