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There is a laser beam focus on a particular story-line.
It’s the obsession on who the Jets #2 quarterback will be on Sunday.
Some are milking this story.
Bryce Petty should be the #2 quarterback. It’s a no-brainer.
Petty looked better than Hackenberg in the preseason. He’s also has an extra year of NFL experience.
I’m a little uncomfortable on how some are trying to sensationalize this story.
Let’s not forget Hackenberg was picked 51st overall. It’s not like he was a #1 pick overall, or a top-five pick. He was a middle second-round selection. And he was clearly over-drafted. Honestly, he should have been picked around where Petty was picked, in the fourth round.
I guess anything involving Hackenberg gets clicks . . .
I saw something today I haven’t seen – a Jets player on injured reserve at practice with his jersey on. I’m talking about Lorenzo Mauldin. He’s on IR with a back injury. It’s possible he could come back this season, and I think the fact that he was actually on the practice field in a jersey points to his probable return. I’m just bringing this up because I’ve never seen a player on IR at practice in a jersey . . .
I was on a radio show in Rochester, and I was being pressed about how bad the Jets QB situation is, and I said, “I don’t think the Jets QB situation is their biggest concern.”
As I’ve said many times, I feel Josh McCown can do a decent job leading the Jets’ offense and manage games. Not be Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers, but just manage games.
To me, the Jets’ biggest concern is their pass defense.
First of all, they are starting two rookie safeties from the get-go. While I think they are both excellent prospects, it’s very rare that an NFL team starts two rookie safeties in Week One. It’s very unusual. So this could roller coast ride early on.
Secondly, while I think Mo Claiborne should be fine as the Jets #1 cornerback (if he stays healthy), their 2-4 cornerbacks all had inconsistent summers – Buster Skrine, Justin Burris and Daryl Roberts. They were all up-and-down. Maybe they were getting the kinks out. That is what camp is for. We will see.
As for linebacker coverage, to me, Darron Lee didn’t make enough plays on the ball this summer, in practice and preseason games. He needs more PD’s.
And another aspect of the coverage concern is the Jets’ edge pass rush, which wasn’t great this summer. This could force the Jets cover guys to hold up in coverage extra time, which isn’t ideal in a passing league with rules favoring offensive players.
So to me, the Jets biggest area of concern is pass defense, not quarterback.
This is just one man’s opinion. I certainly could be wrong.
As I mentioned before, I think it was a mistake that the Jets seemingly eschewed competition in the secondary this summer. The pecking order never seemed to be altered all camp, and this contributed to the Dexter McDougle trade. It just seemed like they never gave him a chance to penetrate the upper tier on the depth chart. Why? I don’t know. And by the way, the Eagles just gave him a contract extension.
September 6, 2017
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