DOME OF DOOM
HUGE UNDERDOG JETS TO PETTY FOR UPSET
NEW ORLEANS — Whatever happens Sunday in the Superdome, you can count on this: Bryce Petty is going to have fun.
Whether that will add up to a victory for the Jets is up for debate.
The 5-8 Jets, after all, are 161/ 2- point underdogs to the 9-4 Saints — a gigantic number for a Jets team that has been competitive in every game this season except for last Sunday’s in Denver, an anemic 23-0 loss to the Broncos.
Oh yes, and the Jets lost veteran starting quarterback Josh McCown, their most valuable player this season, in that loss to the Broncos.
So enter Petty, who’s making his first start this season and fifth of his threeyear career. It’s a daunting task against a surging Saints team, coming off a tough loss to the Falcons and playing in the comforts of their ear-splitting home dome. “Oh, I don’t think he’ll blink,’’ Jets center Wesley Johnson told The Post. “He’s good. He’s tough. He’s got the moxie. He relishes this opportunity more than anything.’’ This marks the beginning of what Petty hopes will be a three-game audition for his future with the Jets. He started four games last season, winning one, losing three and posting marginal statistics along the way (56.4 percent completion rate, three touchdowns, seven interceptions). But teammates told The Post this week Petty took impressive command of practices in the lead-up to the Saints game, command that instilled their confidence in him. Once the Jets players came to grips with the fact McCown, highly respected in the locker room and the unquestioned leader of the team, was not coming back, they expressed a genuine curiosity about what Petty will do with this chance of a lifetime. “He has a great opportunity with these last three games,’’ tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins said. “If he plays well, he builds a case for the future. If he lights it up these next three games, it’s a whole different conversation. The ball is literally in his hands, and I’m excited for him to see what he does with it.’’
Johnson said, “We’re all bummed Josh is out, because he’s the leader of our team, but we’re excited to see Bryce go out and take advantage of his shot and do well.’’
Not everyone gets a shot. Secondyear second-round pick Christian Hackenberg, now Petty’s backup, is still waiting for his first. This is Petty’s second, and likely his last with the Jets, depending on how the next three games go.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him thrive,’’ left tackle Kelvin Beachum said. “It’s an opportunity for him to put it out on tape and put it out there for the whole world to see. I’m looking forward for him to go out and show everybody what he has.’’
What’s Petty like in the huddle? “He owns the huddle,’’ Johnson said. “He’s really calm and confident, and I think everyone can feed off that energy he brings,’’ tight end Eric Tomlinson said.
“He brings energy, he’s got confidence in everything he does,’’ guard right guard Brian Winters said.
“For him it’s all about having fun,’’ Beachum said.
“I really believe he’s going to do good things,’’ Seferian-Jenkins said. “But we’ve got to hold up our end of the bargain. It’s not just Bryce. The whole offense is going to be out there, and we’ve got to all do our jobs to make sure he feels comfortable doing his thing.’’
Offensive coordinator John Morton has tailored a game plan to what Petty, who’s more mobile than McCown and can keep plays alive longer, does best.
“He just has to go out and play,’’ Morton said. “We have a lot of confidence in him, otherwise he wouldn’t be the guy. Players believe in him, we all believe in him and we’re going to go in there and try to get a win.’’
Most importantly for the Jets is this: Petty believes in himself. He always believed his chance would come, and here it is.
“You have to have faith in this life and that’s what I hold to,’’ Petty said. “You work hard and you be a good teammate and things work out for you. [I’m] excited to be here, and I’m going to give these guys everything I have.
“Smiling is important. Understanding that it is a blessing to be here and I think that’s something I was upset with myself about last game — I don’t know if I smiled [enough]. Just smile and have fun and enjoy what I’m doing.’’
Perhaps it’s fitting that in a city where the slogan from its most famous bar, Pat O’Brien’s, is, “Have Fun,’’ Petty is determined to do just that.