Is Bryce Petty giving you a reason to be optimistic about the future?
Yes, the more immediate concern is who will assume the backup QB mantle, no-one is denying that, but lets not lose sight of the big picture either. We didn't draft Petty and Hackenberg in the hopes of finding a backup Quarterback, we drafted them in the hopes of developing a STARTING QUARTERBACK for the foreseeable future.
Ryan Fitzpatrick was a nice story last year and I'm glad we brought him back, buys us another year to bring the young QB's along at the proper pace, which gives them the best chance for longterm success. But make no mistake about it, Fitz was brought back on a one year deal and the Jets are hoping one of these kids will emerge as the starter in 2017.
That said, this is basically a Red Shirt Year for Hackenberg, as it was for Petty one year ago, so there's no point in discussing Hack now, there's nothing to go on other than college projections and wishful thinking.
Petty, on the other hand, is in year two and the Huggies are off. Now we're getting a real glimpse into what he might be, and I have to be honest with you, I am liking what I'm seeing, big-time. Admittedly its a small sample, but I'm seeing things that tell me we might have hit pay-dirt with Petty.
The first thing you have to understand, when people say he's doing this stuff verses 2's and 3's, he is also doing this stuff WITH 2's and 3's and behind a sieve of an Offensive Line. He has seen very few 'clean pockets' in these games. Most of the plays he is making are coming out of the pocket, due to self preservation, or a hair before he is getting blasted, yet he's hanging in there and making good throws for the most part, knowing he's going to get hit.
This implies a real toughness, physical and mental, and thats a big requirement to succeed in this league. It also indicates that he is making quick decisions, by necessity, being forced to make quick decisions, and he is making GOOD DECISIONS regardless. This too is a big development because the main knock against Petty coming out of college was that he played in a rudimentary system at Baylor, and now he needs to learn advanced calculus. Some people doubted he could make that transition, or if he could, that it would probably take years (plural). Well we are seeing some real indications that he has good study habits, good instincts, good recall, and its translating to the field in real time. This is huge because there were never any doubts about his physical ability to play in this league. He has the size, the arm and enough mobility to play in this league, nobody ever doubted it, it was always about the transition he needs to make from 2+2=4 to E=Mc2.
Yes, its still too early to make any definitive assessments on the degree of his learning curve, the preseason is mostly vanilla, but he's clearly getting comfortable with an NFL playbook. Reading complicated NFL defenses remains to be seen, but he looks confident and he is making some really good throws under siege.
In another thread jets82 laments that the Cowboys appear to have gotten lucky with Dak Prescott in the 4th RD, and he wonders why we never get lucky like that?
To steal a phrase from Lee Corso ... "NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND!!!"
I'm seeing some real indications, albeit a year later, that we might have gotten lucky in the 4th RD too.
Yes, the more immediate concern is who will assume the backup QB mantle, no-one is denying that, but lets not lose sight of the big picture either. We didn't draft Petty and Hackenberg in the hopes of finding a backup Quarterback, we drafted them in the hopes of developing a STARTING QUARTERBACK for the foreseeable future.
Ryan Fitzpatrick was a nice story last year and I'm glad we brought him back, buys us another year to bring the young QB's along at the proper pace, which gives them the best chance for longterm success. But make no mistake about it, Fitz was brought back on a one year deal and the Jets are hoping one of these kids will emerge as the starter in 2017.
That said, this is basically a Red Shirt Year for Hackenberg, as it was for Petty one year ago, so there's no point in discussing Hack now, there's nothing to go on other than college projections and wishful thinking.
Petty, on the other hand, is in year two and the Huggies are off. Now we're getting a real glimpse into what he might be, and I have to be honest with you, I am liking what I'm seeing, big-time. Admittedly its a small sample, but I'm seeing things that tell me we might have hit pay-dirt with Petty.
The first thing you have to understand, when people say he's doing this stuff verses 2's and 3's, he is also doing this stuff WITH 2's and 3's and behind a sieve of an Offensive Line. He has seen very few 'clean pockets' in these games. Most of the plays he is making are coming out of the pocket, due to self preservation, or a hair before he is getting blasted, yet he's hanging in there and making good throws for the most part, knowing he's going to get hit.
This implies a real toughness, physical and mental, and thats a big requirement to succeed in this league. It also indicates that he is making quick decisions, by necessity, being forced to make quick decisions, and he is making GOOD DECISIONS regardless. This too is a big development because the main knock against Petty coming out of college was that he played in a rudimentary system at Baylor, and now he needs to learn advanced calculus. Some people doubted he could make that transition, or if he could, that it would probably take years (plural). Well we are seeing some real indications that he has good study habits, good instincts, good recall, and its translating to the field in real time. This is huge because there were never any doubts about his physical ability to play in this league. He has the size, the arm and enough mobility to play in this league, nobody ever doubted it, it was always about the transition he needs to make from 2+2=4 to E=Mc2.
Yes, its still too early to make any definitive assessments on the degree of his learning curve, the preseason is mostly vanilla, but he's clearly getting comfortable with an NFL playbook. Reading complicated NFL defenses remains to be seen, but he looks confident and he is making some really good throws under siege.
In another thread jets82 laments that the Cowboys appear to have gotten lucky with Dak Prescott in the 4th RD, and he wonders why we never get lucky like that?
To steal a phrase from Lee Corso ... "NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND!!!"
I'm seeing some real indications, albeit a year later, that we might have gotten lucky in the 4th RD too.
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