Bryce Petty
Bryce Petty

Jets' starting quarterback job up for grabs


The New York Jets' starting quarterback job is up for grabs.

That means a three-man competition among Josh McCown, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, with the winner under centre for the regular-season opener. At least that's the company line, as expected, at the moment.

"We're giving everybody a great opportunity to show themselves and see if they can be the starter," new offensive coordinator John Morton said on Tuesday.

Coach Todd Bowles would not put a timetable on selecting a starter, adding that the competition is "wide open" and might not be settled until training camp.

"Obviously, you want to see them start to separate at some point," Bowles said. "It's going to come down to playing in games. As far as getting more reps in practice as we go, we'll see what happens."

During the first practice of organised team activities, McCown predictably got the most work with the starting offence in team drills. Petty got some snaps, too, while Hackenberg worked on the second field with backups.

That's all by design, Morton said, and is no reflection on who might be the front-runner in the competition.

"We have a plan, so guys will be rotating," Morton said. "The quarterbacks will be rotating, getting the same amount of reps throughout the week."

Still, McCown would appear to be the favourite to be the one leading the offence on September 10 at Buffalo. The veteran quarterback, who turns 38 on July, signed a one-year, $6million deal with the Jets in March after spending the past two seasons in Cleveland.

New York marks the 10th NFL franchise McCown has spent time with, and he's largely considered an ideal mentor and "bridge" quarterback at this point in his career.

"Any time someone refers to you as 'great' at something, as long as it's positive, I don't think it's bad," McCown said. "I understand what they're saying and certainly looking back, having played on this many teams, nobody obviously sits down and says, 'Hey, I want to play for 10 teams in my career and move all over the place.'

"At the same time, I've played 15 years and I'm very proud of that. This is the journey that was set out before me, so I want to take my experiences and be able to hand them to those guys as best I can."

McCown realises, of course, that he's not in the long-term plans for the franchise. The Jets are hoping Hackenberg or Petty can show that they might be the future.

Hackenberg was drafted in the second round out of Penn State last year, but never saw the field during the regular season as he was considered a major project.

"We just started today, so we have a long way to go, but I love the way he prepares and the way he competes," Morton said.

"I'm talking about competing in the classroom, too. Guys have to learn to do that, and be a pro and be a student of the game, and learn to take notes and those things. He's doing those things, but it's too early to tell right now football wise."

Like what you've read?

MOST READ

Sporting Life
Join for free!
Access to exclusive features all for FREE - No monthly subscription fee
Race Replays
My stable horse tracker
giftOffers and prize draws
newsExclusive content
We are committed to Safer Gambling and have a number of self-help tools to help you manage your gambling. We also work with a number of independent charitable organisations who can offer help and answers any questions you may have.
Gamble Aware LogoGamble Helpline LogoGamstop LogoGordon Moody LogoSafer Gambling Standard LogoGamban Logo18+ LogoTake Time To Think Logo