GENO STILL LEADING RACE FOR NO. 2
Bowles: Geno will be second QB in pivotal third preseason tilt
Hold off on handing Bryce Petty the Jets’ backup quarterback job.
Coach To d d B o wl e s said Wednesday that Geno Smith, not Petty, will be the second quarterback to enter Saturday’s preseason game with the Giants. There had been some speculation among fans and media that the Jets might put Petty, the third-string quarterback, into this game second to get a longer look at him, but Bowles shot down that idea with a one-word answer.
“Geno,” Bowles said when asked who would be the second quarterback to play Saturday.
There is plenty of reading of the tea leaves going on with the Jets’ quarterback situation as cutdown day approaches. The team must get down to 53 players on Sept. 3. On Wednesday, Bowles made it sound like Smith’s spot as the backup still is secure.
Bowles was asked if Petty will play in the game on Saturday.
“It’s hard to get a gauge on the game,” Bowles said. “You know, he played a lot last week and the week before. We’ve got to get our guys ready to play.”
That sounds like a coach who does not expect Petty to be one of the guys who have to be ready to play in the regular season. That means Petty is ticketed for the third-string job or is in danger of being cut next week.
Petty has played well in training camp and had a strong performance last week against the Redskins after a shaky start. He completed 16-of-26 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns. He threw two, beautiful long passes to rookie Robby Anderson and a touchdown strike to Zach Sudfeld that was a great throw.
Smith has not played as well in the preseason games, but has looked f ine in practice. Bowles has shot down a ny whiff of a backup-quarterback controversy at every turn. He repeatedly has said Smith is the No. 2 behind Ryan Fi t z pa tr i c k , fo l l owed by Petty and rookie Christian Hackenberg.
Smith was asked if he sought any clarity from Bowles on his role.
“I don’t see anything different,” Smith said. “I think he’s already answered that question.”
The backup quarterback drama has become the story of Jets’ camp. Between Hackenberg not playing at all this preseason and the perceived battle for the No. 2 job between Petty and Smith, the Jets may be the only team in the league with a backup quarterback controversy.
The only ce r ta i nty when it comes to the Jets’ quarterbacks right now is Fitzpatrick’s role. Bowles said he wants Fitzpatrick and the starters to play at least a half against the Giants.
“I want [Fitzpatrick] to play quite a bit,” Bowles said, “and depending on how the offense goes, it’s hard to get three quarterbacks in the second half. I’ll try to if everything goes right. In a perfect world, you want it. We really do want to try and get all of them in the game.”
Th a t wo ul d me a n Ha ck e n - be r g ’s f irst p l ay in g ti me this preseason after he was a healthy scratch against the Jag uars and Redskins. It still seems unlike - l y, though, that th e r e wi l l be enough time for Hackenberg to play. His playing time probably will have to wait until the fourth preseason game next week with the Eagles. brian.costello@nypost.com