With just two weeks into their official training camp, the New York Jets suit up tonight, Thursday, in full pads, at Metlife Stadium against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Each team’s first preseason exhibition outing. It’s a month out from the start of the Jets’ regular season games beginning here Sunday, Sept. 11. The Cincinnati Bengals are the opponents.
Sophomore coach Todd Bowles has a simple game plan for his players to follow. “We just want to see guys go out and play fast and play hard, and know their assignment,” he said. He can then decipher who can play and who can’t.
With four quarterbacks currently on his team’s roster, the most asked questions are how much time, reps will each one get, and will they all play.
Expectedly, there were vague answers to both questions—game day or game time decisions.
Second year QB Bryce Petty and rookie Christian Hackenberg, quarterbacks three and four behind starter Ryan Fitzpatrick and third-year veteran Geno Smith, are evaluated initially more so on their mental game than on their on field play. Noted Bowles, “I know Hack isn’t getting as many reps as everybody else. His time will come. But he’s still learning.”
Fitzpatrick, Smith and Petty have been here longer. “They’ve learned the system, so it wouldn’t be fair to evaluate him (Hackenberg) the same as the other three,” said Bowles.
The preseason exhibition games are useful for teams to evaluate their rookies and newly signed players. the games provide a chance to implement what’s learned on the practice field, in camp.
A team’s starters and veterans generally only play for about a quarter of each game, to avoid injury, like Muhammad Wilkinson who’s now in shoulder pads for the first time in a while because of an end of season injury, but is recovering. It’s going to take a little while to get in back into shape. He’s day to day.
Wilkerson and his teammates will get another quarter to play, the second out of four next Friday when the Jets travel south to play the Redskins in D.C.
