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You gotta make these plays.
I was looking back at some video of the Jets-Saints game, and I was reminded of a major missed opportunity by the Jets.
They had the ball on the Saints 11-yard-line.
On first-and-10, Bryce Petty threw a bubble screen to wide receiver Chad Hanson on the short right side. This could have easily been a touchdown. It was set-up very well. The problem is Petty threw the ball really low, and Hansen had to catch the ball at his shoe laces, and Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore tackled him for a loss of four. This should not be a difficult throw for an NFL QB. You basically turn to your right and throw it to a receiver who is basically on the line of scrimmage. While some people have praised Lattimore for a great play, I don’t agree. Yes is was a solid play by Lattimore, but if the pass had hit Hanson in the numbers, he had blockers in front of him to take it into the end zone. But since he had to reach down so far, he was an easy target to tackle because his head was down.
I asked Todd Bowles about this play today.
Q)Was the bubble screen to Hansen in New Orleans a little low?
Bowles: Yes, it should’ve been (higher). But you catch the balls that are thrown to you.
Q)Does the low throw hurt the receiver’s running after the catch?
Bowles: It does when you have a lot of pressure coming at you.
Look, I don’t want to pick on Petty. He’s a great kid and he’s doing the best he can, but you can’t be throwing bubble screens that low.
If Petty is going to be successful he needs to be more accurate, and must get his mind to slow down – it seems to be racing when he’s sitting in the pocket.
It will be interesting to see what he can do in the last two games.
If Petty doesn’t play well in the last two games, this Jets need to re-visit how they handle backup QB spot.
What I mean by this is they shouldn’t use their two backup spots for a couple of developmental guys who can’t go out there and win a few games.
It’s okay to have a developmental guy in the third spot or practice squad, but the #2 needs to be a guy who can go out there and win games.
I will give you two examples.
The Minnesota Vikings starter Sam Bradford got hurt early this season, and they had Case Keenum in reserve. How’d that work out?
The Philadelphia Eagles starter Carson Wentz got hurt a couple of weeks ago, and they have Nick Foles in reserve. How’s that working out?
I’m sorry, I just don’t believe in having two raw, projects in the #2 and #3 spots. In league where quarterbacks get hurt all the time, that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.
December 22, 2017
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