Nick Mangold talks Jets, Bernzomatic torches and life after football

Nick Mangold spoke with FanSided about the state of the New York Jets, Bernzomatic torches, life after football and much more.

New York Jets fans still recognize center Nick Mangold as a mainstay during his career in the Big Apple, and not surprising to anyone, he’s still 100 percent loyal to the franchise that he spent all 11 of his NFL seasons with.

Speaking with FanSided’s Mark Carman leading up to Super Bowl 54 in Miami, Mangold expressed optimism over the direction the Jets are trying to head in.

“I think they’re working on it,” he said. “They’re working to improve and everything. Having Chris Johnson there, he’s doing a great job of trying to find the way to win. I think he’s as much of a fan as anybody else and he wants to see a championship. I think that’s the biggest thing, it’s been far too long without a championship. So we need to find a way to get there, but we’re working on it.”

The Jets finished their most recent with a disappointing 7-9 record, missing the playoffs for the ninth straight year, but Mangold wasn’t deterred.

“I think if Sam [Darnold] doesn’t get mono, it might be a different year,” he said. “As long as we keep him from getting mono this coming year, hopefully they can do better.”

So there’s really no critique to be had of the New York Jets right now in Mangold’s eyes? No area where they could improve?

“Pay me more money,” he said, laughing. “Just randomly. Randomly send me checks. That’s what they could do better.”

Leading up to Sunday’s big game, the seven-time Pro Bowler was promoting Bernzomatic torch products, which is making a foray into the world of grilling.

“We are taking the torch away from the construction and putting it into the tailgate,” Mangold explained. “So if you’re thinking about a tailgate, you’re walking through, you see people grilling and smoking, tossing around a pigskin, having a good ol’ time, if you walk by and see somebody with a torch, torching up a hot dog, you’re probably gonna wanna stop and see what’s going on.”

Mangold said Bernzomatic has torches for grilling from little ones for brûlée all the way up to big ones for starting a fire pit. Their website also has dozens of recipes, including a few Latin-inspired dishes for the build-up to Super Bowl 54 in Miami.

“It’s pretty cool seeing fire just coming down upon food,” Mangold said.

Among the other topics in the interview, Mangold discussed the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, how his body feels after retiring from football in 2016 and more.

Nick Mangold spoke to FanSided on behalf of Bernzomatic.