There may be a reason why the New York Jets quarterback competition did not end in Detroit last week.
After the New York Jets showing in Detroit last week, the quarterback competition could, and probably should have been over. Christian Hackenberg made his first career start and failed miserably in his attempt to take a stronghold of the position. He went 2-6 for 14 yards. He couldn’t read the defense in front of him, nearly getting him killed. He locked onto his one receiver and just basically showed that he wasn’t ready.
Competition over then, right? Josh McCown led a touchdown drive the one time he had a chance. He plays with the starters this week and sits out preseason week four in order to prepare for week one. Right? Not so fast.
On Wednesday, McCown was limited to five reps, with Hackenberg and Bryce Petty dividing up the rest. He led a two-minute drill, but that was the end of his work (per Rich Cimini of ESPN). On Thursday, the final pre-game practice, McCown got no reps at all, with Hackenberg taking 18 and Petty taking 14. McCown got zero work with the starters (per Rich Cimini of ESPN).
This is not indicative of a situation where the decision has been made. It appears, though no official announcement has been made, as if Hackenberg, or even Petty is getting another shot. Todd Bowles said multiple times that the rep distribution has no impact on who plays (per a team press realease). That doesn’t seem logical, as the guys that get the preparation are typically the ones that play.
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So what gives? Hackenberg showed last week that he really isn’t ready for the bright lights of the regular season yet. McCown is the one who should be starting on Saturday night so he can prepare with the starters. Even in just one series he performed the best. The longer this continues, the more I believe that this is not coming from Bowles. The answer that makes sense is that he is being influenced from above, meaning ownership. The Johnson family would like Hackenberg to be the week one starter. Mike Maccagnan likely wouldn’t mind that result either considering he drafted the guy.
From an organizational perspective, it makes sense. The higher-ups want to know what they have with Hackenberg to make a decision moving forward. But it highlights the potential problem between a head coach who needs to win and an organization building for the future. Woody Johnson has said publicly that it’s not all about the wins and losses in 2017. However, whether Woody chimes in from the UK or not, would it surprise anyone if Bowles believes he needs to win a little in order to keep his job?
The head coach will look ahead, but to a point. He will never be behind either a real or perceived “tank”. He wants to win if the team is on the field. Josh McCown gives the Jets the best chance to do that right now. The Jets organization wants to know if Christian Hackenberg is the quarterback of the future. They can’t figure that out while he is sitting, and that causes the confusion we are seeing this week.
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This type of disagreement will sound familiar to Jets fans, as it is similar to how things ended with Rex Ryan and John Idzik. That movie wasn’t so good then and it won’t be good now either. Let’s see what happens on Saturday night and when Bowles announces the Week 1 starter.