Over the past 20 years, playing games has grown to become a hobby of many people in the United States. Video games are mainstream, and few video game franchises are more popular thanPokemon. It’s perhaps unsurprising then thatPokemonis getting mentioned more and more in pop culture. However, few likely expectedPokemonto be mentioned in an interview with NFL running back coach Taylor Embree, regarding his managing approach with the New York Jets.According to Jets beat reporter Zack Rosenblatt, Embree was recently asked about his managing approach regarding the team’s running back rotation. The Jets had their first NFL preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles this past Friday and are looking toward their next match on August 22 against theAtlanta Falcons. Rosenblatt offered a surprising response for his answer, explaining that he looked at his running backs like Pokemon.RELATED:New Arcade1Up Cabinet is Remastering Classic NFL Blitz GamesTo be more specific, Rosenblatt doesn’t see his individual running backs as Pokemon. Breece Hall is an impressive rookie but he’d might take offense to being compared to aCharmanderworking on evolution. Rosenblatt’s comparison is that he sees rotating through the running backs for the Jets as rotating through a team of Pokemon. When one Pokemon comes out of the game, another one goes in.
Rosenblatt doesn’t elaborate on the idea, but it’s easy to see what he means. InPokemongames, players have a team of Pokemon that they’re able to send into battle individually. They can select the best Pokemon from their team to go in for a given situation or opponent. Then they can swap them out when circumstances change. As the running back coach on the Jets, which has a healthy depth chart of running backs, Rosenblatt is able to choose which player best fits a given situation and use them to their strengths.
What makes the situation so interesting isn’t just that it’s an apt comparison to Rosenblatt, but that he’s using the comparison in the first place. Rosenblatt mentions that he told his wife it’s like playingPokemonfirst. The comparison appears to have come naturally to him, likely because he’s well-versed inPokemonand can’t help seeing theNFLthrough that lens to a degree.
It’s unclear if there are any otherPokemonfansamong the Jets' coaching staff that Rosenblatt can trade tips with. For the time being, he should probably just focus on the needs of Breece Hall, Michael Carter, Zach Wilson, La’Mical Perine, and Zonovan Knight. They may not appreciate the reference as much asPokemonfans will.
