STEVE SERBY’S HACK ATTACK
Hack’ should get crack at top QB job early in season
THE ADAGE in the NFL is if you have two quarterbacks, or three quarterbacks, you don’t have any. At a time when Tom Brady recently celebrated his 40th birthday, the Jets remain mired in franchise quarterback hell , with the 38-year-old Journeyman (Josh McCown), The Project (Christian Hackenberg) and The Afterthought (Bryce Petty). Welcome to the Jets’ three-wing circus. Where, much to the detriment of the three wings, Don Maynard would probably be the go-to receiver even today. At 82.
Where The Project for the first time received first-team reps first on Wednesday ... only to watch his third pass get intercepted by Rontez Miles. And his last pass intercepted by Dexter McDougle.
“We learn as we go,” coach Todd Bowles said. “It’s gonna be up and down every day, so just go from there.”
The most compelling drama surrounding the start of the preseason, and no doubt the rest of the regular season, surrounds Hackenberg, especially now that Bowles has instructed Sheldon Richardson to do his best Sergeant Schultz imitation before, and even after, the Snoopy Bowl against Brandon Marshall’s Giants. One team. One goal. No quarterback. Poor Bowles must check off four boxes to save his job:
Develop the young Jets who flood his roster so that the arrow is pointing up for most of them.
Field a competitive team, especially on defense, his area of expertise, and possibly win five games, if at all possible.
Rule the locker room with more of an iron fist so that the inmates can’t even think about running the asylum.
Pick t her riight moment to turn to Hackenberg.
I would like to help Coach Bowles with his Hackenberg Conundrum. Here are some options:
START WEEK 1: Until further notice, this is unlikely, given the fact the offense is complex and Hackenberg’s first-team reps have been few and far between. He would have to resemble the phenom he once was as a Penn State freshman starting Saturday night in the preseason opener against the Titans to overtake McCown, the $6 million bridge quarterback/Band-Aid. Hackenberg has shown better command and leadership and has closed the gap. But his accuracy and decision-making remain works in progress.
“His command of the huddle is a lot better,” Bowles said.
If Hackenberg is thrown to the wolves and not ready, it would be dangerous and debilitating to him, and to the coach, and the general manager who drafted him (Mike Maccagnan), and to the team. And it is a road game in Buffalo. Tanks, but no tanks.
START WEEK 3: Week 2 is on the road in the Black Hole in Oakland, tanks, but no tanks again. The home opener against Ndamukong Suh’s Dolphins would be mucho pressure on the kid. If the Jets are 0-2 and McCown is floundering, Bowles should consider letting Hackenberg get his feet wet in relief. If nothing else, it will quiet the “We want Hack” chants from those eternally long-suffering Jets fans.
START WEEK 4: The Tom Coughlin/Doug Marrone Jaguars have upgraded their defense, but even were the Jets to shock the world and enter 1-2, you would hope Hackenberg would be ready by now
for the second game at MetLife Stadium.
“Us as defenders, we have to always play honest and stay on top of what we got going on,” cornerback Morris Claiborne said, “’cause he’s not afraid to throw that big ball on you.”
Of course, neither was Browning Nagle once upon a time.
START WEEK 5: On the road against the Browns would not be the worst place or the worst team to begin his audition.
START WEEK 6: Against Bill Belichick and the Patriots? Are you kidding? This would be cruel and unusual punishment. Belichick and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia would be able to coach this one with eyes closed. Tanks, but no tanks.
START WEEK 7: This should be the absolute latest for Hackenberg to take off the Huggies, on the road in Miami. By this point, the gap between the “We want Hack” crowd and the “Suck for Sam” crowd undoubtedly will have been narrowed. A 10-game audition hardly would be ideal.
“I think he’s more confident. He knows what he’s doing out there. He’s trying to use his eyes a little bit better than he was before,” Quincy Enunwa said recently, before an unfortunate neck injury landed him on IR.
Hackenberg’s eyes may as well have been shut last season. Jets fans are waiting for him to open theirs. Of course, they’ve been waiting since Broadway Joe for a franchise quarterback to open their eyes.
Everyone should be reminded that training camp practice is not preseason game action, and the preseason is not the regular season.
The verdict: Hackenberg should start no earlier or later than Wee k 4. If Hackenberg can not over take McCown by t hen, it is damning commentary on him and on the coaching staff.