Gang Green rook has lots to learn
A rookie season always is a learning experience for any player in any sport. Factor in the fact Christian Hackenberg’s only playing time came in preseason and that his reps have been with the scout team, and the Jets quarterback has been in watch-and-learn mode virtually every minute of every day. Ryan Fitzpatrick remains the starting quarterback for the 3-8 Jets, who face the Colts on Monday at MetLife Stadium. Geno Smith began the season as the No. 2, but tore his ACL. So last year’s quarterback draft pick, Bryce Petty, moved into the backup spot. At least Hackenberg has a full cast to learn from. “I just tried to take in as much as I possibly could, from sitting in the film room with a guy like Fitz to just learning from the vets how to act in the locker room, to how to carry yourself, how to be a pro,” Hackenberg said Friday after practice. “This year has given me the ability to really acclimate myself. Just learn as much as I can.” There has been a lot to learn and there still is. Earlier this week, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, while acknowledging the difficulty of assessing what the Jets have in Hackenberg, admitted “the sky’s the limit” for the former Penn State quarterback. “There’s a lot to learn. It’s tough to point out one thing. For anyone coming into the league, there’s going to be an adjustment,” Hackenberg said. “Just being able to take each one and learn from it and continue to grow is what the challenge is and I feel like I’ve been able to do a decent job at that.”
But wouldn’t the challenge be a little easier while actually playing? In college, Hackenberg was a starter as a freshman. It has been a while since “inactive” was a weekly companion.
“There’s two ways to look at it,” Hackenberg said. “You can feel sorry for yourself or you can take the positives out of it and get better and continue to grow. That’s kind of the way I’ve tried to lean towards. I’m just going to do everything that I can to become a better player, better teammate every day and when my opportunity comes, whenever that is, just be prepared for it.”
The waiting can grow on you and make it difficult. Take it from Petty, who is familiar with rookie angst.
“I see a lot of myself in him” Petty said. “As a quarterback, there’s only one of us out there. We’re not DBs, not receivers where you rotate or even get on special teams. So, personally, the hardest thing is you just don’t feel like you contribute.
“If you win, you want to be part of the win and if you lose, you wish you could have done something to help. That’s the tough part. There’s only one of us out there and you’ve got to be supportive and as mentally in the game as possible. That’s part of it too because you only see so much from the sidelines.”
The 6-foot-4, 21-year-old Hackenberg was the Jets’ second-round pick. He last played in the final game of preseason and looked exactly like what he was, a young guy with a big arm who has a lot to learn and a long way to go. Hackenberg hopes he has lessened that distance somewhat with all the watching and listening and learning, but no one ever would substitute game experience for all the other stuff, regardless of how valuable.
“The older you get and the more experiences you have, you learn things and you can look back and reflect,” Hackenberg said.
“You can’t ever settle so just being able to continue to grow in every area is the ultimate goal. Continue to get better at the things you’re good at, continue to get better at the things you’re not so good at. That’s the whole point so just I’m trying to improve in every area every day and learn as much as I can.”