Yes, another Aussie punter. Actually, both are Aussies and will battle for the job. What I don't understand is why Hackett wasn't drafted by us or someone else. He won the Ray Guy award twice. His gross average was 48 or 49 yards per punt. The kid we drafted, Locklin somethingorother, only had a gross of 41.9 I think.
There is another thread about it somewhere on TGG. Apparently he takes like 3-5 steps when he punts as opposed to the 1-2 steps NFL punters get. I guess teams didn't think he was worth a pick to see if he could adjust.
[QUOTE="What I don't understand is why Hackett wasn't drafted by us or someone else. He won the Ray Guy award twice. His gross average was 48 or 49 yards per punt. The kid we drafted, Locklin somethingorother, only had a gross of 41.9 I think.[/QUOTE] From what the reports I've read about Hackett, there were concerns about his small size (which I don't really understand) and also what has been referred to as his highly quirky and eccentric personality and behavior traits....
Thanks. I did see a film clip after I posted, where he often (usually?) runs to this right the 3-5 steps you mention and then kicks it. I guess that's it, but with his hang time and gross average, it's still shocking that no one took him. It's my understanding that he's been very consistent in college.
From what the reports I've read about Hackett, there were concerns about his small size (which I don't really understand) and also what has been referred to as his highly quirky and eccentric personality and behavior traits....[/QUOTE] Thanks. That's very interesting. I wonder what those traits are and just how eccentric he is.
Jets draft a punter then pick up Hackett. We might have punter for once, and I couldn't be more excited. The one position that gets ignored year after year. With this defense we are building, field position will be huge.
Thats exactly what Alabama have been doing in college football. JK Scott booms it down as close to the line as possible, then their defence makes it very uncomfortable for the QB to clear his line.
Jets probably felt more comfortable signing Hackett as opposed to Lachlan Edwards. They gambled and they must have really sold Hackett well on this team, and its smart from Hackett's perspective. His competition is a fellow Aussie and rookie for this gig. Jets may not have been as close with Lac as opposed to Hackett so they may have had a harder time getting Edwards as a UDFA.
Check out Hackett's comments in the first video and his "kicking Bacon" remarks during the early portion of the second video....
He has the size and exceptional arm strength of QBs like Flacco, and Cutler along with well above average speed/agility/mobility for a passer his size. The departure of Coach O'Brien after his superb freshman year as an 18 year old starter (and the resulting offensive system change together with the loss of quality hands on instruction) had a severely adverse impact on his development which went down hill thereafter. His footwork fell apart and he took countless hits behind a crap offensive line. Throughout all the regime change and scandals at Penn State, he maintained his composure and was highly respected as a leader. I believe with proper coaching and attention, he has all the tools to develop into a top quality starter.
Yeah I know his backstory. There's just no argument that Hackett had a more successful college career than Hackenberg did , and has a 99 percent better chance to make a difference on this team next season. To me that makes it a better acquisition.
