Has enough players to hold the Forte
SINCE the moment Christian Hackenberg joined the Jets as a second-round draft pick in spring of 2016, his throwing accuracy has been dissected and debated at length.
Most notably, in January, an anonymous Jets coach told ESPN that Hackenberg “couldn’t hit the ocean.” And in OTAs and minicamp over the last several weeks, the Penn State product’s penchant for hitting reporters with errant passes has caused a stir among fans.
But one man isn’t buying the narrative, and he is perhaps the most important person to Hackenberg’s development — Jets quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates, who Todd Bowles hired this offseason after parting ways with Kevin Patullo.
“I think he’s real accurate,” Bates said of Hackenberg Wednesday before the second practice of Jets minicamp in Florham Park. “I think he’s throwing the ball well. He’s throwing it on time. Part of accuracy is knowing where to go with the ball, and each day, he plays faster. He gets in a rhythm. And I think everyone in the
Forte was “surprised” by the Jets cutting Decker and Harris, but he wouldn’t discuss his opinion on the moves.
“It’s above my pay grade what happens,” he said. “I don’t make those decisions.”
After Maccagnan’s offseason moves, the Jets now have a barren roster full of holes and unproven players.
But Forte scoffed at the idea that the Jets don’t have a roster to win in the NFL this season.
“This is a professional football,” Forte building is excited to see where he’s going. I think he’s accurate.”
Hackenberg has yet to take a regular-season snap in the NFL, and ultimately, no one outside of One Jets Drive will truly know how accurate and how good he is until he plays in meaningful action.
That moment could come as soon as Week 1 against the Bills on Sept. 10, as Hackenberg remains in an open competition with Josh McCown and Bryce Petty for the Jets’ starting quarterback job.
But when asked Wednesday if he believes Hackenberg is “ready” to be a starter in the NFL, Bates avoided answering directly.
“Right now that’s too early of a question. We’re not even focused on that,” said Bates, who was out of football for four seasons before joining the Jets in February. said. “We have athletes on this team. And in the league, it’s not about the team that has the most talent on their roster. It’s about the guys who have a brotherhood together. They play on the field not next to each other, they play for each other. They make sacrifices on the field so the other guys can make plays. And that’s the kind of culture that we’ve been creating throughout the offseason.”
STEWART’S SURGERIES
Third-round pick ArDarius Stewart had thumb and groin surgeries in recent weeks, Todd Bowles revealed Wednesday.
The wide receiver participated in rookie minicamp in early May, but according to Bowles, he was sidelined for “a pretty good portion” of organized team activities, which included 10 sessions over a threeweek period. Stewart didn’t practice at minicamp Tuesday or Wednesday, and is unlikely to practice Thursday in the final minicamp session before training camp starts July 28.
Bowles confirmed both the thumb and groin ailments were pre-existing injuries for Stewart, who played three seasons at Alabama under former OC Lane Kiffin.
Jets wide receivers coach Karl Dorrell believes Stewart’s time playing for Kiffin will prevent him from falling behind. Kiffin’s offense has “very strong similarities” to Jets offensive coordinator John Morton's system. “There will be no problem with him,” Dorrell said of Stewart.