Thursday Stuff

Injuries Mounting For Jets

Injuries are starting to mount for the 2016 Jets. Coming off their 2^nd win of the season,

the injury report looked like incoming helicopters from a MASH unit. The list of players who did not practice on Wednesday was staggering:

TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins

LB Darron Lee

RB Bilal Powell

OL Brent Qvale

DL Muhammad Wilkerson

LB Bruce Carter

DL Sheldon Richardson

OL Nick Mangold

OL Ryan Clady

CB Buster Skrine

TE Kellan Davis

  Four more players, Forte, Revis, Allen and Winters were limited in practice. With the season almost half over, most NFL players are feeling some kind of pain or soreness. Sometimes good things can come out of this. If the Jets pick up practice squad players from other teams, there is always a chance in finding a players.

Fans Calling For Petty

  Listening to the radio this week and reading articles in the local papers, it is confirmed that the most popular player on a team destined to have a losing season is the back-up quarterback. Everyone and their mother is trying to make a case for the Jets to put in Bryce Petty. If the Jets lose one or two of the next three games, everyone is pretty certain we’ll see a Petty sighting this year. All Jets fans know how the quarterback situation has been for this organization since Joe Namath lead the Jets to their first and only Super Bowl. The Jets really haven’t had a franchise quarterback since. Of course we’ve had a few teases such as Ken O’Brien, Chad Pennington and even Mark Sanchez his first two years. Since 1983 the Jets have drafted 18 different quarterbacks. We’ve seen names like Troy Taylor, Browning Nagle, Jeff Blake, Brooks Bollinger, Kellen Clemens, Erik Ainge, Greg McElroy and Tajh Boyd come and go. I am actually in the same camp as the old GM Ron Wolf who maintained it is good for an organization to draft a quarterback every year somewhere in the draft. Whether Bryce Petty has the talent to be a quality NFL starter is anybody’s guess. In his brief stint in exhibition games he showed us some good things. My only question is if the Jets thought Petty was the real deal then why did they draft Christian Hackenberg in the 2^nd round? 

Below I’ve dug up a scouting report on Petty.

Who’s on first on defensive line?

 The Jets signed Muhammad Wilkerson to an 80+ million dollar contract. They drafted Leonard Williams in the first round two years ago. Sheldon Richardson had his 2^nd straight suspension at the start of the season. All three players are very talented though the defensive line has underachieved as a whole this year. The issue at hand is how do you play three similar players at two positions? And what do you do for the long term? We saw the Jets move Richardson into a hybrid linebacker position only to be moved back to the DL when Wilkerson missed last week’s game. Watching Richardson play this past Sunday against the Ravens was like watching a player possessed who wants to stay on the line. He was awesome! Williams has been consistent all year and at times has been unblockable. Wilkerson has underachieved and I’ve gotten on him this year but make no mistake, Mo is an exceptional talent. Most might have the thought process that this is a good problem to have. However in Jet land it is not as easy as that. One thing is certain the Jets must keep Richardson on the defensive line. The coaches must find a way to rotate the three keeping them all happy. I don’t think for the long term the Jets will keep all three and sadly Sheldon Richardson will probably be the odd man out eventually. If and when Wilkerson comes out of his funk and the three do rotate smoothly, watch for the defensive line to come alive as a unit the way we all imagined it at the beginning of the season. I expect the next three games for the Jets defensive line to get more than their share of sacks.

What the Jets scribes are saying.

Rich Cimini, ESPN

  Down to three quarterbacks, the Jets are holding a mini-competition this week to determine the No. 2 spot for Sunday. It's Petty versus Hackenberg. On Wednesday, they both took some reps with the first team (customary for the primary backup), but Bowles declined to say which player got more work. He'll make a decision by the end of the week.

  It would be an upset if Petty isn't the No. 2. He and Hackenberg have the same number of regular-season snaps -- zero -- but Petty has been around for a season and is more comfortable in the offense than the rookie from Penn State.

  Thing is, Petty fell behind after injuring his throwing shoulder in the final preseason game. This is his third week of practice; this is Hackenberg's eighth week. In Bowles' mind, they're both neophytes. He doesn't want to hand either one the backup job; he wants them to earn it.

Brian Costello, NY Post

  One of the biggest debates in the NFL is whether to play a quarterback right away or have him sit and watch. Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz are the latest examples for those who want guys to play right away, but both are playing in systems that are similar to what they played in college. The Jets don’t want Hackenberg to play this season, wanting to bring him along slowly. You can argue a second-round pick should not be a project, but that is a discussion for another day.

  In many ways, the Jets are handling Petty how they should have handled Smith. Like Petty, Smith came from a gimmicky offense in college that did not translate to the NFL. Teammates were amazed by how much he struggled just getting the plays out in the huddle during that first year. Smith had some good moments that rookie season, but you wonder if his career would have gone differently if he were permitted to learn without the pressure of playing. Instead, he is the latest Jets quarterback to be cast aside.

Manish Mehta, NY Daily News

 Fitzpatrick never asked for sympathy… or made excuses about anything from the moment he arrived last year. His play hasn’t been good enough so far this season. He’s far from the only culprit for a 2-5 team that faces the winless Browns on Sunday.

“When we lose, my shoulders are big enough,” Fitzpatrick said. “Blame me for everything. That’s fine. I’ll take that. You don’t need to blame a young rookie receiver that can’t handle it…. I am accountable for all my actions, good or bad.”

You don’t need to be a pissed-off Ivy Leaguer to know that time is running short for Fitzpatrick. Todd Bowles hasn’t declared whether Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg will be the No. 2 quarterback on Sunday (Spoiler: It’ll be Petty), but Fitzpatrick is fully aware that this second chance might be his last best chance.

“There’s no telling,” Fitzpatrick said. “That’s how I approach it though.”

The Jets have a three-game stretch against teams with losing records, which guarantees nothing.

 “If I’m in there and I’m not getting results, then it doesn’t matter how nice of a guy I am and it doesn’t matter how respected I am,” said Fitzpatrick, who has committed only one turnover in the last three games. “I’ll be the first one to say that I haven’t been lighting the world on fire. I’m the quarterback. The blame comes at me and it stops with me. It doesn’t need to go anywhere else.”

Fitzpatrick responded from a benching with the Texans two years ago with a 358-yard, six-touchdown masterpiece when he was re-inserted as the starter.

We’ll find out soon enough if he can rekindle the magic.

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Here is a scouting report on Bryce Petty coming out of Baylor:

OVERVIEW

Selected for 2015 Senior Bowl. Led school to back-to-back Big 12 championships, going 21-4 as two-year starter. In 2014, selected second-team All-Big 12, throwing for 3,855 yards and 29 TDs with 7 interceptions. Rushed for 101 yards and 6 TDs. Sat out only one game despite cracking two small bones in his back in season opener. Threw for Cotton Bowl record 550 yards against Michigan State. In 2013, selected Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Big 12, throwing for 4,200 yards, 32 TDs and 3 interceptions. Rushed for 209 yards and 14 TDs on 94 attempts. Served as backup in 2011 and 2012. Redshirted in 2010 and grayshirted in 2009, taking classes at Navarro College. Graduated in 2013 with a degree in health science studies.

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Possesses NFL size. Not a burner, but has enough functional movement outside of the pocket. Scouts label him ultra-competitive, tough and smart. Strong leader. Engineered 21-point fourth-quarter comeback win over TCU in 2014. Played through a back injury for most of his senior season. Doesn't have a cannon, but arm strength is NFL-starter quality. Deep-ball accuracy improved from 2013 to 2014. Understands when to throw the fastball and when to use touch. Gets feet set with good balance on delivery. Keeps ball at proper height on set-up and has quick release. Rarely underthrows deep passes, preferring to give only his wide receiver a chance to catch the ball. Can elude pressure and buy himself time to make a play.

WEAKNESSES Scouts concerned he could be product of Baylor's one-read system. Has tendency to spray the ball against zone coverage on intermediate routes. Can extend plays but won't make many plays downfield once he extends. Mistakes happen when forced to come off of first read. Struggles when defenders are near his feet. Yards per attempt declined in 2014 and screens were a much higher percentage of his passes. Struggles to pull himself from the doldrums when having a poor game. Nose of the ball dives when he doesn't drive throws with his lower body. Must learn to read defenses and get through his progressions when he joins the NFL.

DRAFT PROJECTION Round 4

@GreenRewind



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