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Florham Park, New Jersey – Three very important questions to pose today from Jets Training Camp in Florham Park . . .
One observation on Christian Hackenberg. He has definitely improved from last summer, which is the last time we (the media and fans) saw him getting a lot or reps in practice. But the problem continues to be accuracy. While he makes a lot of impressive throws, there are too many passes where the placement isn’t ideal.
Low, high, wide – there is too much of this.
Plenty of good throws, but too many bad ones.
The top quarterbacks in the NFL are at around at 65 percent completion percentage – guys like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodger and Drew Brees, and a big reason for this is great accuracy.
Look, Hackenberg is working really, really hard, and he has improved to a degree, but it’s very hard to make an inaccurate quarterback an accurate one. I know Tom Landry felt that way.
I just don’t understand why a long-time scout like Mike Maccagnan, who has scouted college talent for over 20 years, and generally has a good eye for talent, thought that the Jets could make an inaccurate quarterback into an accurate one.
Hey, it’s not impossible, but it’s a long-shot . . .
Buster Skrine had two pass interference penalties in today’s practice. He’s having a very rough summer, and is coming off two wildly inconsistent seasons.
Remember when former Jets defensive end Trevor Pryce said Rex Ryan, “is loyal to the point of defiance.”
I think Todd Bowles might have this issue related to Skrine.
Maybe part of this is financially driven. If the Jets release Skrine, they take an $8.5 million cap hit according to spotrac.com.
Considering Bowles was a long-time secondary coach prior to becoming a defensive coordinator and then head coach, I can’t believe he keeps rolling this player. He’s getting a lot of starting reps this summer.
It pains me to write this because Buster’s a great guy, but he’s just not getting the job done.
And Todd is being “loyal to the point of defiance.” . . .
This whole Jets tanking narrative to me is fascinating to ponder.
A good source told me today that Woody Johnson is willing to write off this season to land a top quarterback in the next draft. I’m sure if Woody feels this way, perhaps Christopher, who is taking over for him while Woody is in London, feels the same way.
This is the first time I got this from a source. Before this, it was just speculation.
But how do you tank, if that is what they are doing?
The coaches and players aren’t going to do that. The coaches are going to work long hours to put together good game plans, and players are wired to try and go out there and win every Sunday.
A long-time writer in Cleveland told me that was dynamic with the Browns last year. The players and coaches were doing everything they could to win on Sunday.
So what happens if the Jets get off to a good start this season with Josh McCown at QB. Let’s just throw out they go 4-3. I’m not predicting that, just throwing out a hypothetical. Does somebody high up tell them to switch to a young inexperienced QB because they are piling up too many wins?
That is why I find the whole dynamic fascinating. How do you pull off a tank, if that is what you are inclined to do?
August 10, 2017
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