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New Jersey – It’s time for a heaping helping of Jets Whispers from their training camp in Florham Park, New Jersey . . .
You know what Christian Hackenberg needs – more time being tutored by the Jets new QB coach Jeremy Bates, offensive coordinator John Morton and veteran quarterback Josh McCown.
Maybe this entire season, or maybe a couple of more months, taking the Jets into mid-season.
This trio should be able to help him a great deal. It’s still early in his developmental process, and clearly he didn’t get developed much last year, or at all last year.
When Jets offensive coordinator John Morton says he’s like “rookie” that makes sense.
And he’s still only 22-years-old.
I know he didn’t look great the other night, but it was one half in one preseason game.
In his second offense in two years. Once he got down the old offense, a thick, new, more complex playbook was tossed at him.
Quarterbacks need to process an amazing amount of information. It’s a really tough job.
Look how much Paxton Lynch is struggling in Denver. He entered the league with Hackenberg last year, and like Hackenberg, had a new playbook thrown at him going from Year One to Year Two. This is far from ideal.
Lynch just got beat out by Trevor Siemian for the Broncos QB job. Siemian was named the starter today.
Hackenberg has also been beat out (Josh McCown), but Todd Bowles refused to make the announcement today, and won’t this week.
I asked another reporter today – “Do you think Todd will name the starting quarterback today.”
The other reporter said, “No, I think he will be stubborn.”
So this “show trial” continues.
How can anybody, who has been watching the Jets quarterbacks this spring, summer and in the preseason, think that anybody but McCown will be quarterbacking the Jets in Week One?
So the Kabuki Theatre continues for another week.
I’m not writing off Hackenberg by a stretch, but he needs a ton more work and development before he’s ready to start . . .
Interesting watching the Jets practice today, seeing who they used for their three wide receiver sets.
It was Charone Peake, Robby Anderson and – drum roll please – Kenbrell Thompkins.
Yes, the same Kenbrell Thompkins who was just signed last week.
We will see if this continues in the Jets-Giants game on Saturday, but I totally understand the move to get him some prime-time reps.
The Jets’ passing offense was pretty underwhelming the last two games, since Josh McCown’s long TD drive to start the Titans-Jets game, it’s been substandard. Since that drive, the Jets have scored six points in over seven quarters of action.
I’m sure Morton lobbied to get a veteran in the lineup to compliment the “Kiddie Corps.” With Eric Decker and Quincy Enunwa out of the mix, it’s all young guys in that room. The 29-year-old Thompkins brings much-needed experience and leadership to that wide receiver group.
And also keep in mind, Jalin Marshall, who has been working at the #2 and #3 receiver spots most of this summer, is going to miss the first four games of the regular season due to a league suspension. So now with the third preseason game coming up, the “dress rehearsal” for the regular season, where the starter usually play in the third quarter, they have to have Marshall take a back seat for now.
If he absorbs the offense quickly, getting Thompkins on the field with the starters, or at least as the #3, is a good idea . . .
August 21, 2017
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