Second-year quarterback Christian Hackenberg made his 2017 debut under center for the New York Jets last Saturday. He played the majority of the game and completed 18-of-25 passes for 127 yards for zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also fumbled twice, losing one.
Seeing that there is still plenty of room for improvement, offensive coordinator John Morton had this rather interesting observation to share when discussing Hackenberg.
“Basically, he’s (Hackenberg) a rookie,” Morton said, via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
Ouch.
Hackenberg, drafted in the second round in 2016, spent his entire rookie season on the bench.
Since, Hackenberg has struggled immensely during the Jets organized practices over the months. It was not long ago he was pitching balls towards sideline reporters, making them fear for their safety (more on that here.)
Last year it was noted by a Jets coaching staff member that Hackenberg was just plain awful in practices.
The youngster has yet to practice with the first team in training camp. We will have to see how the next three preseason games play out. But all signs point towards Josh McCown, who is “obviously the leader,” to start in 2017.
Yippee.