Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett gets team to make ‘animal noises’ for play memorization, Allen Lazard reveals

New York Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett’s name was all over the news last week after he was criticized by Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton. This week, he is making headlines for a wilder reason — literally. 

According to Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard, Hackett’s coaching style involves players getting in touch with their wild side to help them remember plays better.

“He gets a room of grown men to make animal noises,” Lazard said in a recent press conference. ” … Whether it’s a whale, a kangaroo, a pony, a shark, you’d have to sit in the meetings to hear. But he’s the only person that can get grown men to do something like that. I’ve never experienced something like that in my playing career.”

Lazard said Hackett might be the best coach he’s ever had because of the way he makes players comfortable enough to just be themselves. He said this is all particularly helpful for young players who are new to the NFL and are still getting out of their comfort zone.

“His personality, his style of teaching, of coaching. His vulnerability to be himself, I think it’s very powerful and it speaks in high regard of him being comfortable within himself,” Lazard said. “When you see that as a player, a coach carrying themselves that way, it allows you to do the same thing.”

Lazard is not the only player who has publicly spoken highly of Hackett, who last year was fired by the Broncos after the team started 4-11 in his first season at the helm. Aaron Rodgers played under Hackett in Green Bay during his back-to-back MVP seasons in 2020 and 2021, and he defended the coach by saying Payton’s comments were out of line and that he “needs to keep my coaches’ names out of his mouth.”