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Morris County – While many fans and reporters clamor for the 3-8 Jets to start youngster Bryce Petty at quarterback, Jets coach Todd Bowles is ignoring the white noise.
Before I continue, let me show you how obsessed the media is at getting Petty on the field. Here is an excerpt from today’s press conference:
Q)Who is the starting quarterback against the Colts?
Todd Bowles: Ryan (Fitzpatrick).
Q)Why are you staying with Fitzpatrick as the starter?
Bowles: He’s our starter, no different than anybody else on both sides of the ball right now.
Q)Why did you wait until today to name the starting quarterback?
Bowles: I just didn’t want to answer any questions (about) going forward last night, only questions about the game, so I waited until today.
Q)How do you weigh trying to win games this season versus getting a look at the younger players for the future?
Bowles: We get looks at them every day. As a coach, you weigh trying to win ball games first and there’s a time and place that those guys will get a chance to play. It just won’t be next week.
Q)Are you factoring next year into your coaching decisions?
Bowles: Not at this point, no. We’re just trying to win ball games and get everybody better.
Q)Is there a curiosity to see what Bryce Petty can do in a game situation?
Bowles: There’s a curiosity to all of the young guys that are backing up right now, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to start them all right now. There’s a time and place for that and, if and when we get to that point, I’ll make that decision. There are a lot of guys backing up right now that we probably want to see in games that aren’t ready to play yet, so I’ll go from there.
Q)What is the reason to continue to chase wins with the playoffs seemingly out of reach instead of getting a look at Petty?
Bowles: We’re all fighters. We’re all trying to win every game, whether we’re trying to get to 8-8 or whether we’re trying to be 16-0. We’re trying to win ball games and we’re trying to win. It’s not about Bryce and it’s not about Fitz, it’s about our team trying to win ball games. Right now, Fitz is our starter. He gives us a good chance to win. Bryce is getting better. He got a lot of experience against the Rams. He’ll get some more experience as times goes on, just not right now.
Q)Was starting Fitzpatrick a decision in your mind or did you know after the Patriots game?
Bowles: There was no decision. I knew all along.
Q)Did you meet with the coaching staff or Mike Maccagnan?
Bowles: Yes, I’ve talked to all of them.
Q)In talking to the staff was there a debate on whether to start Petty or Fitzpatrick?
Bowles: There was no debate.
Q)Is Maccagnan on board with starting Fitzpatrick?
Bowles: Yes.
Q)Could you switch to Petty if the team continues to lose and Fitzpatrick plays well?
Bowles: I have a timetable in my head for certain guys that I want to see at different positions, so when that time comes, I’ll make those decisions.
Here are my thoughts . . .
Fitzpatrick clearly gives the Jets a much better chance to win than Petty, a second-year signal-caller out of Baylor’s gimmicky offense, a system that doesn’t require quarterbacks to make complex reads. The Bears’ scheme doesn’t translate to the NFL, so Petty came to the Jets as a major project. He still needs a lot of work on reading defenses.
Petty started in Week 11 against the Los Angeles Rams for an injured Fitzpatrick, and the Jets scored a total of six points, in a 9-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Petty’s best play of the game was a 52-yard fly route to speedy rookie wide receiver Robby Anderson. This play required no mental processing. It was Baylor-like, a one-read chuck down the left sideline. Petty has a great arm. There is no questioning that. This was a terrific throw, but it was a school-yard play. It didn’t require any reads or present a mental challenge. This drive ended with the Jets scoring on a gadget play, a hook-and-ladder. Petty threw a short pass to wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who flipped to running back Bilal Powell who took it into the end zone.
Aside from these two plays, Petty’s performance was uninspiring. He finished 19 of 32 for 163 yards, checking down on most plays. Some criticized Jets offensive coordinator Chad Gailey for being too conservative with the play-calling. That really wasn’t the case. Petty had chances to go down field, but didn’t trust his eyes and chose to throw short, safe passes underneath. The Jets punted eight times. Petty threw a costly pick on the Jets’ last possession, as they attempted to at least tie the game with a field goal. And keep in mind, this is a Rams defense that gave up 49 points to New Orleans a couple of weeks after playing the Jets. If Fitzpatrick had played in this game, the Jets probably would have won.
Look, it’s too early to write-off, Petty, but he’s clearly still a work-in-progress, as he still needs some work to wean himself off the Baylor system, where they had no playbook and the QB didn’t take snaps under center.
Fitzpatrick is coming off a terrific game against New England. The Jets lost, but not because of him.
As former Jets coach Herman Edwards famously said, “You play to win the game.”
The Jets are mired in a three-game losing streak, and the players and coaches desperately need a win, want a win. Food tastes better after wins, the bumps and bruises don’t hurt as much.
The NFL isn’t NFL Europe. It’s not a developmental league.
Fitzpatrick is a much better quarterback than Petty right now, and the locker room is behind him.
Bowles is making the right decision staying with Fitzpatrick for now.
November 28, 2016
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