FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Bryce Petty took a few baby steps Friday, his first day in an NFL-style offense. He huddled. He took snaps from under center. He stepped out of his Baylor cocoon, the cushy world of a spread offense, and he crushed it on Day 1 of the New York Jets' rookie camp.
Now for some perspective: It was Playbook 101, the basics of the basics, and there was no contact in practice. That's important to know because a live pass rush can turn a rifle arm into a noodle arm. We won't know that about Petty until the preseason, but he passed his first throwing test, slinging the ball with velocity and accuracy during seven-on-seven drills. There was a hiccup on his final throw -- a hurried pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown -- but it still was a positive day for the fourth-round pick.
Bryce Petty showed off his quick release during the Jets' Friday workout.
"He has all the intangibles, but that word is thrown around so much," coach Todd Bowles said after practice. "It's sort of the new word for 'potential.'"
Translation: Bowles needs to see a lot more from Petty before he starts throwing around flowery compliments.
Petty has a quick release, a compact delivery and a strong enough arm. He threw 61 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions in his final two seasons at Baylor. As Bowles said, "You have to admit, that's pretty good." It sure is, but he wouldn't have lasted until the 103rd pick if he were deemed a sure thing. It was Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota and everybody else, according to the experts.
Clearly, Petty aspires to be greater than the "everybody else" category.
"That's their opinion," he said. "I know what I am. I know what I want to do here. All that stuff is in the past now. It's all about what we do here."
The knock on Petty is that he's a system quarterback, and it's not an unfair perception because he played in a system -- an uptempo, no-huddle attack -- that minimized the quarterback's decision-making. In fact, he ran a no-huddle on 78 percent of his plays in college, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He rarely took a snap from under center; 97 percent of his career dropbacks were taken from a shotgun or pistol formation.
Petty said he's looking forward to learning the Jets' system, admitting he'll "be able to play quarterback a little bit." On Friday, he was allowed to read off a play card in the huddle -- a first-day cheat sheet. There were only a couple of glitches at the line of scrimmage, which was to be expected on Day 1. The bottom line is, he looked like he belonged.
So, go ahead, call him a system quarterback.
"Hey, if they're not talking about you," he said, "that's when I need to be worried."
Now for some perspective: It was Playbook 101, the basics of the basics, and there was no contact in practice. That's important to know because a live pass rush can turn a rifle arm into a noodle arm. We won't know that about Petty until the preseason, but he passed his first throwing test, slinging the ball with velocity and accuracy during seven-on-seven drills. There was a hiccup on his final throw -- a hurried pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown -- but it still was a positive day for the fourth-round pick.
Bryce Petty showed off his quick release during the Jets' Friday workout.
"He has all the intangibles, but that word is thrown around so much," coach Todd Bowles said after practice. "It's sort of the new word for 'potential.'"
Translation: Bowles needs to see a lot more from Petty before he starts throwing around flowery compliments.
Petty has a quick release, a compact delivery and a strong enough arm. He threw 61 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions in his final two seasons at Baylor. As Bowles said, "You have to admit, that's pretty good." It sure is, but he wouldn't have lasted until the 103rd pick if he were deemed a sure thing. It was Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota and everybody else, according to the experts.
Clearly, Petty aspires to be greater than the "everybody else" category.
"That's their opinion," he said. "I know what I am. I know what I want to do here. All that stuff is in the past now. It's all about what we do here."
The knock on Petty is that he's a system quarterback, and it's not an unfair perception because he played in a system -- an uptempo, no-huddle attack -- that minimized the quarterback's decision-making. In fact, he ran a no-huddle on 78 percent of his plays in college, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He rarely took a snap from under center; 97 percent of his career dropbacks were taken from a shotgun or pistol formation.
Petty said he's looking forward to learning the Jets' system, admitting he'll "be able to play quarterback a little bit." On Friday, he was allowed to read off a play card in the huddle -- a first-day cheat sheet. There were only a couple of glitches at the line of scrimmage, which was to be expected on Day 1. The bottom line is, he looked like he belonged.
So, go ahead, call him a system quarterback.
"Hey, if they're not talking about you," he said, "that's when I need to be worried."
