Coach tempers QB expectations
Don’t expect much from Christian Hackenberg in Saturday’s preseason opener. Coach Todd Bowles certainly isn’t.
For the first time since last year’s preseason, Hackenberg will see live action against the Titans, but the Jets don’t plan on witnessing a performance to remember from the secondyear quarterback.
“I’m not expecting him to go out there and be Roger Staubach,” Bowles said following Thursday’s practice. “If he is, so be it, but we’re trying to get him better. He’s 22 years old. The kid’s got to get a chance to play and make some mistakes and grow from it and come back from adversity and make good plays.
“He’s not gonna be [former Cowboys quarterback] Danny White, either. ... You want him to get better every week. You can’t compare last year to this year. He barely played. He barely played this year.”
Bowles said he doesn’t know which quarterback will start yet, but he noted that Hackenberg, Josh McCown and Bryce Petty all will play.
Though the coach said Hackenberg will see some time with the first-team offensive line, Bowles said the 2016 second-round pick’s initial performance won’t have any bearing on the quarterback competition, which he called “pretty even.” Bowles also said nothing should be interpreted by who is named Saturday’s starter.
“I’m not basing this game solely on Christian’s star debut as a movie theater actor,” Bowles said. “He’s gonna play the whole preseason. He’s gonna get a lot of reps. Whether he plays good or bad doesn’t determine his reps for the next week or after that.” Rookie running back Eli McGuire practiced with the first team on Thursday, and could start in the preseason opener. Bowles announced that Bilal Powell (neck) will not play, and the status of Matt Forte (hamstring) has not been determined. Forte, 32, hasn’t practiced since July 31.
The wide receivers struggled again Thursday, dropping four passes during team drills, and even more in drills without defenders.
“[It’s] concentration, trying too hard,” Bowles said. “[They] just gotta focus.”