The New York Jets gave Christian Hackenberg the chance to make a statement in the quarterback competition and he failed miserably.
The New York Jets are halfway through the preseason. There are many decisions to be made, with the biggest one coming at the quarterback position. Josh McCown, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty are in the midst of their competition, though many believe it’s a two-man race. Petty may be on the outside looking in, though he did play the entire second half of the game against the Lions.
In Preseason Week 1, Josh McCown played one series before turning the bulk of the game over to Christian Hackenberg. Against the Lions, Hackenberg took center stage, playing the entire first half and taking all of the reps with the first string. McCown was not used in Detroit, which makes sense. They know what they have in McCown and desperately needed to see the two kids get extended game action.
For Hackenberg, it was his chance to step up and make a statement. Much of the world believes that he is not ready to play in Week 1 of the regular season. He’ll get the ball during the season at some point, but not right away. Starting the game was his chance to prove everyone wrong. It was his chance to say that he should be in the mix to start in Buffalo. McCown scored a touchdown last week, but Hackenberg could have made everyone forget him for a half.
He made a statement alright. He helped Josh McCown earn the Jets starting quarterback job without McCown lifting a finger. The statement he made for himself was that everyone was right and he just isn’t quite ready yet. The chance to step up in the competition was, unfortunately for Hackenberg, an abject failure.
First let’s look at the numbers. Hackenberg went 2-of-6 through the air for 14 yards. The Jets didn’t post a first down until the second quarter, and they produced no points under his watch. His throws lacked some of the accuracy we saw from him in the previous week, but he used his legs nicely on a 12-yard scramble. They opened the playbook up a bit, and he wasn’t able to connect on the longer throws.
Now it wasn’t all on Hackenberg by a long shot. The offensive line played about as poorly as they have in a long time. There was virtually no running game with the first team. Other than the catch for 17 yards, Bilal Powell had no room to run. A couple of late runs brought his average to over three yards per carry; modest but not good enough. Hackenberg was rushed all night as well. He took a vicious hit early in the game thanks to a missed blocking assignment. He needs to step up, but the guys around him have to help.
Next: NFL 2017: One superstar megatrade for each team
There is no doubt that he needs help. But they are looking at Christian Hackenberg as a potential franchise quarterback. A quarterback that fills that role is able to make the players around him better. Hackenberg didn’t really show signs of that against the Lions. All he really did was make McCown look better. Let’s hope for better in the Snoopy Bowl against the Giants next week.