This post puzzles me. How can his "talent" escape you? He has a cannon for an arm. When he was under center, he was accurate. His football IQ is very high. That's all natural talent, plus work/study. Some QBs work hard for years but still can't read a D for crap or know which plays to change into. Hack was doing it with relative ease his freshman year. Petty looked the part in college because he was playing in a much simpler system for which he was a good fit, had much better coaching, had a good OL and good offensive skill players around him. Hack looked the part his freshman season because he had a pretty good OL, talent at the skill positions, and had great coaching. He looked awful and fell apart his last two seasons because he was a lousy fit for the offense, had a terrible OL, terrible coaching, terrible offense, and had little offensive playmaking talent around him. Also with regards to your comment about Hack not being a natural thrower in another later post, I've changed my mind and don't think it is a good point. If Hack wasn't a natural thrower, he never would have been the #1 QB prospect coming out of high school and wouldn't have been said during or following his freshman year to be a future #1 pick in the draft. He got screwed up because Donovan changed his fundamentals, took a pounding, and lost confidence. He also probably was pressing, trying too hard. He knew he had no talent around him and felt like he had to make a big play about every down.
FTR, I still would've rather used our 2nd rounder on an OL or a skill guy that early. I don't think Hack will be on the roster once his rookie deal runs out.
I Know I'm replying to myself here but I realized I should mention one aspect of Bryce Petty and his college career. Petty put up much better numbers at Baylor, but the only NFL QB of note that Baylor has ever produced is RGIII. Reality is neither Penn State nor Baylor has ever really produced an NFL QB of quality (jury is still out on RGIII). You have one college, Penn State, which has never had a really prolific passing game and has only produced 2 NFL starters (guys who were actually named starters during their careers) and Baylor, to date, has had prolific passing attacks in college but has produced 1 NFL starter (who like Blackledge from Penn State, lost his starting gig). to date the best QB either college has put out was Collins....so in that regard the odds are stacked against both Petty and Hackenberg...but it doesn't preclude either of them of them from becoming the first to be a really good nfl qb.
I totally understand your wishing we had taken an OL or offensive skill player instead of Hack. For all our sakes, however, you'd better hope that you're wrong!
good point. it doesn't look all that impressive when you consider this. Petty's senior year: 63%, 3,855 yards, 29 TDs, 7 INTs This year due to injuries they had 6 different QBs including a true freshman and running backs line up in the QB slot and they collectively put up these numbers. 58%, 3,764 yards, 44 TDs, 13 INTs Its a little unfair because Petty probably puts up more TDs and yards if he doesn't get taken out early of some of those blowouts Baylor had in their traditionally absolute creampuff schedule but they do have a hell of a QB friendly system going on there.
Ok dude lol. Hack was awful in college but he's super talented as long as everything is perfect. His coach made him awful. Sounds like his coach is becoming more and more of the problem as the days go by. And Petty was all about the system. Gotcha. _
Also played with 2 cracked bones in his back. His bowl game against Mich St in the bowl game was one of the best games I've ever seen a QB play. Hack's not playing that game. _
I didn't say Petty was all about the system, that Hack was super talented as long as everything is perfect, or that all the blame goes on his coach. You should also remember that I'm one of the few who believes in Petty as strongly as you do. Just because I believe in Petty however, doesn't mean that I can't see Hack's talent and potential. You know as well as I that Petty played in a basically one-read system at Baylor. On occasions he made multiple reads, but he didn't do it all that frequently, so because of Petty's football IQ we're both assuming that will translate to the Jets' offense. The thing is with Hack, is that we KNOW he can read Ds and go through his progressions in a more complex NFL-style offense, because he's already done it. For someone who guesses about QBs, you sure can be a closed-minded, dense smartass at times.
In fairness he's the same guy who was busting my chops over Johnny football when I said he was going to bomb if he didn't clean up his act and find himself cut from the browns....so......
I hope Petty pans out, of course, and that Michigan State game was impressive. Petty lit it up at Baylor. That's why I am happy he is on my favorite team. But it doesn't change the fact that I think Hackenberg would've also absolutely lit it up at Baylor in that offense too. Hackenberg's strong arm and 2 of the fastest WRs in all of college football (corey coleman / k.d. cannon) in Art Briles' system, would've been dynamic
Hackenberg would beat Petty today in a competition in my opinion. The road to Hackenberg being a starter is an easier road in comparison to Petty and his road toward being a starter. Hackenberg, prob already has the playbook and if the football IQ thing is right, the dude might already know the majority of the playbook by TC. That's crazy. But I am happy with Hackenberg AND Petty. That would be awesome to have 2 QBs that we feel confident in.
if neither of them pans out at least we aren't screwed long term because we sold the farm to trade up (rams/eagles) or signed a guy for big money who didn't deserve it (half the league and the eagles again lol).... if One pans out we have a good QB into the future finally. if both pan out with have a good QB into the future and a trade chip.
Yeah, both the Eagles and the Rams are screwed if their QB's don't pan out, and since only about 38% of 1st round QB's pan out as at least average QB's the odds are that one of them are going to be disappointed.
Thank God we didn't sell the farm. I think both QBs will make each other better. Both are QBs from completely different backgrounds.
Gruden is always complimentary towards these prospects, but after watching most of these QB camps over the years you could tell he thought highly of Hackenbergs football IQ. He didn't put Petty or the other spread QB's through nearly the same protections exercises.
And that's a guarantee any other player would've hit. At what point then are we gonna get a QB? Every pick is a risk
I agree. Maybe not immediately tho. Over the course of pre-season and camp yes. I'm glad Geno's here, and I hope Fitz comes back. I know this a cliche' and means shit, But Hack is 'football player', so is Fitz. Geno, idk. I liked Petty and said so last year before we took him, but idk about him either. To me it means a natural, a guy that competes because he has instincts. He's passed the point of always trying to figure out what's going on and what he has to do fundamentally. I think Hack may have that, and Petty may not I'm glad tho that there's gonna be good competition and if Fitz doesn't come back, I'm actually glad Geno's here to buy time for Petty and Hack
Oh but you "see" all Hack's "talent" when it is literally his bigness and his big arm and his potential that is all he has ever shown anyone else. He is not accurate, not by any stretch (I've heard all the excuses but even accepting them all at fave value, he is not accurate, he is quite inaccurate). He does not have great touch. He does not have the quickest release. He is woefully I athletic, he's not mobile and he's a poor runner. But he's big. He's got a big arm. He has prototypical potential. And he's big. Oh yeah he was one of the best HS QBs coming into college and 3 years ago he had an okay freshman campaign. And he's big. Let's not forget that. _