THE EYE IN THE SKY
Jet veterans & coaches ready to help QB succeed
wants to make this work.
“I got full confidence in him,” Seferian-Jenkins said. “I’m excited to see what he’s going to do. He knows his stuff as well as PHOTO BY AP anyone on the team. We’ve got to know exactly what we’ve got to do with coverage adjustments. We got to let Bryce be Bryce and handle our business, so there can be a good flow.” Tight ends can be a young signal caller’s best friend, a safety valve to help ease the pressure when things get crazy in the pocket. “That’s what I hope to be this week,” Seferian-Jenkins said. “Whatever I can do — whether it be blocking or just a safety outlet. Whatever Bryce needs, I’m there… Josh has done a phenomenal job this year, but I think Bryce can come in and do a great job as well. I want people to know that there’s full belief in Bryce. We can go out and win this game with him. It’s not like we’re laying down and saying it’s over. No, we plan to go down there, play well and Bryce to play well.”
Sometimes honesty isn’t the best policy even though it’s always appreciated. John Morton’s admission in the run-up to this game that he waved the white flag in the fourth quarter of the Jets’ shutout loss in Denver last week was highly unusual, but let’s not bury the guy for his candor.
Reading between the lines was easy: The first-time offensive coordinator didn’t want to damage Petty’s confidence in the face of less-than-ideal circumstances.
Morton, who calls the plays from up in the coach’s booth on gamedays, had a week to tailor a blueprint to Petty’s strengths. That plan will be pivotal if the 15-point-underdog Jets stand a chance against the Saints.
“We’ve set up the game plan where he feels comfortable,” Morton said. “We have a lot of confidence in him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be the guy. He is the guy right now. We all believe in him.”
Although Morton said “we’re not changing anything” and “we’re going to run our offense,” the Jets will obviously highlight parts of the playbook designed to bring out the best in Petty, who has had success with downfield throws.
“It’s my job to make sure I put him in the right position to have success and not call something (where you say), ‘Maybe something (bad) might happen here,’” Morton said. “I think that is what I need to do.”
Petty has shown in the past that he can improvise with the best of them, but has he grasped this offense enough to function at a high enough level within the confines of Morton’s scheme?
He’s going to need as much help as he can get to pull off this miracle.
@MMehtaNYDN