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New York Jets: Quarterback Christian Hackenberg’s job to lose in 2018?

By Michael Pallas

DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 19: Christian Hackenberg #5 of the New York Jets drops back to pass during the first quarter of the preseason game against the Detroit Lions on August 19, 2017 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions defeated the Jets 16-6. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 19: Christian Hackenberg #5 of the New York Jets drops back to pass during the first quarter of the preseason game against the Detroit Lions on August 19, 2017 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions defeated the Jets 16-6. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
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The job of quarterback of the New York Jets in 2018 is Christian Hackenberg’s to lose, and if he loses it, he’ll no longer have a shot beyond next season.

Fans of the New York Jets have assumes all season long that since Christian Hackenberg hasn’t taken a snap in two years that the coaching staff doesn’t believe in him. That’s not necessarily the case.

The Jets had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. The interior of the offensive line was putrid. According to Pro Football Focus Elite, the Jets offensive line allowed 176 pressures in 2017. Of those 176 pressure, 101 came were allowed by the interior linemen. Some have told me that James Carpenter doesn’t deserve to be cut. However, he was actually the leader of all the linemen in pressures allowed with 36.

If Christian Hackenberg is the starting quarterback for the Jets Week 1 of the 2018 season, Jets fans may give the same reaction California Angels fans gave in the movie Angels in the Outfield the first time George Knox made a move based on Roger Bomman seeing Angels.

The fact of the matter is that the Jets didn’t want to insert Hackenberg at quarterback just yet. There are two reasons. He’s not quite ready physically to take the reigns. That said, they believe he can be ready in 2018.

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The second reason is psychological. The Penn State offensive line allowed Hackenberg to be sacked 101 times. The Jets coaches believe that negatively affected his throwing mechanics, causing him to rush throws and cause poor footwork. Those bad habits are hard to fix, especially when it’s psychologically engrained in a player.

The Jets coaches didn’t want to put Hackenberg behind that offensive line, with the exception of an injury forcing their hands. Another reason is that the running game is the quarterback’s best friend, and the Jets didn’t have a good one.

Football Outsiders has a stat called Defense-adjusted Value Over Average

"This number represents value, per play, over an average running back in the same game situations. The more positive the DVOA rating, the better the player’s performance. Negative DVOA represents below-average offense."

Football Outsiders gave all three Jets running backs a negative DVOA. Football is the ultimate team game. So, that could be a result of the offensive line being near the bottom in almost all the run blocking categories on Football Outsiders.

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The Jets want to build the team around Hackenberg. They want him to have absolutely no excuses for his failures. If they build the team around him, and he fails, it’s on him. 2018 is Hackenberg’s year to prove to the football world why the Jets took a chance on drafting him in the second round. It may have taken a while, but he will get his chance.

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