Christian Hackenberg did nothing to show he’s the future face of the New York Jets during the team’s first preseason game. So it’s not surprising that on Monday it was Josh McCown leading the first-team offense in practice, leading Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News to write, “He’s obviously the leader in the Jets quarterback clubhouse.”
Throughout the offseason and into training camp, McCown has been miles ahead of Hackenberg, who continues to struggle with even the simplest things. At this point, it’s going to take McCown getting injured or a minor miracle for Hackenberg to knock the veteran out of that starting role.
That’s not a good look. And it’s certainly not a good sign that Hackenberg will ever develop into the quarterback the Jets need.
After all, McCown isn’t a good quarterback to begin with. For his career, he’s completed just 59.1 percent of his passes (that’s awful), throwing 79 touchdowns and 69 interceptions in 82 career games. As a starter, McCown features a 18-42 record. And it’s been even worse in recent years, as he’s won just two games in his last 22 starts.
The Jets are going to crash and burn this year, regardless of who’s the starting quarterback. So the fact that McCown is “obviously” ahead of Hackenberg should tell you all you need to know about the former Penn State’s potential as an NFL quarterback.