FLORHAM PARK — Bryce Petty, the Jets' second-year, third-string quarterback, returned to full practice participation Thursday.
Before that, and since Petty's shoulder injury near the end of the preseason, rookie Christian Hackenberg had received a lot of scout team reps — a beneficial experience for Hackenberg, who is a project player.
Hackenberg and backup Geno Smith shared scout team reps while Petty was sidelined. But Smith also got reps with the starters, in case something happened to No. 1 quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Now, Petty and Hackenberg will share scout team reps.
Hackenberg didn't get a lot of practice reps during the preseason, so playing frequently with the scout team during this stretch really helped him.
The Jets will enter this offseason with Petty and Hackenberg as their only quarterbacks guaranteed to be under contract for 2017, so they need them to progress. And in the preseason, Hackenberg looked like he had a long way to go before he would be ready to play in an NFL game.
"I think it's good just to be able to get in the flow of practice and actually do it," Hackenberg told NJ Advance Media. "You can only do so much seeing and watching. That's been the coolest part, is being able to take the things I've learned in the film room and try to apply them."
The obvious issue with running scout team plays is that Hackenberg isn't executing the Jets' offense. Rather, he is mimicking the opponent's offense against the Jets' first-team defense. Still, this is valuable learning time for him.
"I think any rep against a live defense has been really good," Hackenberg said. "It's helped me and I think it's going to continue to help me."
The scout team experience has at least let Hackenberg get more work reading a defense, based on the coverage scenario.
"I think it's just seeing the big picture, seeing the defense, understanding the timing of it and where to go," he said. "If you can process that, whether it's complete or not, I think that's a win for me."
Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has said he doesn't want to perhaps overhaul Hackenberg's mechanics until the offseason. And Hackenberg said that's something the coaches haven't worked with him on just yet.
But during the season, Hackenberg said, "we tweak little things."
He sits down once a week with quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo, and they talk about mechanical tweaks.
"Just try something different," Hackenberg said. "Obviously, you're doing something right to get here. So making a drastic change is hard, especially if you've been doing it for as long as a lot of us have. It's just really trying to find the little things that work. Kevin and I kind of bounce ideas off of each other."
Hackenberg knows he must do a lot of work himself in the offseason, when he plans to again work with quarterbacks coach Jordan Palmer, the younger brother of Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, whom the Jets will face Monday.
In the meantime, Hackenberg is taking mental notes on his mechanical errors in practice, and filing them away for the offseason. The goal, said Hackenberg, is to "have a really good plan going into this offseason."
It will be a critical juncture in his NFL career, after a rookie year spent as a practice player.
Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.
Before that, and since Petty's shoulder injury near the end of the preseason, rookie Christian Hackenberg had received a lot of scout team reps — a beneficial experience for Hackenberg, who is a project player.
Hackenberg and backup Geno Smith shared scout team reps while Petty was sidelined. But Smith also got reps with the starters, in case something happened to No. 1 quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Now, Petty and Hackenberg will share scout team reps.
Hackenberg didn't get a lot of practice reps during the preseason, so playing frequently with the scout team during this stretch really helped him.
The Jets will enter this offseason with Petty and Hackenberg as their only quarterbacks guaranteed to be under contract for 2017, so they need them to progress. And in the preseason, Hackenberg looked like he had a long way to go before he would be ready to play in an NFL game.
"I think it's good just to be able to get in the flow of practice and actually do it," Hackenberg told NJ Advance Media. "You can only do so much seeing and watching. That's been the coolest part, is being able to take the things I've learned in the film room and try to apply them."
The obvious issue with running scout team plays is that Hackenberg isn't executing the Jets' offense. Rather, he is mimicking the opponent's offense against the Jets' first-team defense. Still, this is valuable learning time for him.
"I think any rep against a live defense has been really good," Hackenberg said. "It's helped me and I think it's going to continue to help me."
The scout team experience has at least let Hackenberg get more work reading a defense, based on the coverage scenario.
"I think it's just seeing the big picture, seeing the defense, understanding the timing of it and where to go," he said. "If you can process that, whether it's complete or not, I think that's a win for me."
Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has said he doesn't want to perhaps overhaul Hackenberg's mechanics until the offseason. And Hackenberg said that's something the coaches haven't worked with him on just yet.
But during the season, Hackenberg said, "we tweak little things."
He sits down once a week with quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo, and they talk about mechanical tweaks.
"Just try something different," Hackenberg said. "Obviously, you're doing something right to get here. So making a drastic change is hard, especially if you've been doing it for as long as a lot of us have. It's just really trying to find the little things that work. Kevin and I kind of bounce ideas off of each other."
Hackenberg knows he must do a lot of work himself in the offseason, when he plans to again work with quarterbacks coach Jordan Palmer, the younger brother of Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, whom the Jets will face Monday.
In the meantime, Hackenberg is taking mental notes on his mechanical errors in practice, and filing them away for the offseason. The goal, said Hackenberg, is to "have a really good plan going into this offseason."
It will be a critical juncture in his NFL career, after a rookie year spent as a practice player.
Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.
