The quarterback woes and injuries continue with Jets
As the New York Jets still face major problems at the most important position on the team heading into the offseason, their quarterback woes and injuries continue.
Are the New York Jets really cursed when it comes to their quarterback situation? Do you believe in the notion that Joe Namath really sold his soul for a win in Super Bowl III and cursed the Jets for their entire existence? Whatever the case may be, the Jets once again have some serious woes and now, severe injuries at quarterback.
In Week 16 action against the New England Patriots, quarterback Bryce Petty, unfortunately, suffered a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder as per Rich Cimini of ESPN. It’s another tough pill to swallow since there is no guarantee that Petty will be the same quarterback once he gets surgery this offseason to correct it.
With Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith more than likely on the way out, the Jets once again have a huge question mark over the most important position on the team for 2017. Christian Hackenberg might not even get a single rep in their season finale against the Buffalo Bills.
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If Hackenberg doesn’t play, there is also no telling where he’s at in his development. While it’s important that the Jets don’t rush him to play in a losing season, who even knows if he’ll even be ready to be a backup next season.
The Jets really dropped the ball this year and have done so much damage to the overall franchise that they look like they’ve regressed by a few years. With big decisions looming and a top-ten pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, there is a whole lot of work for this franchise to do in order to even get back to being competitive again.
Yet again and as usual, it all comes down to the quarterback. Looking around at all the teams currently set to be in the NFL Playoffs, it’s not hard to see the common theme. The majority, or at least the ones set to go the distance, all have an established franchise quarterback in place. Either that or they got lucky and found an extraordinary quarterback like the Dallas Cowboys have with Dak Prescott.
Who knows what the Jets plan to do at quarterback come next season but it’s looking more and more likely that some new veteran will be under center. Petty showed some signs of brilliance but again, didn’t exactly scream franchise quarterback at any point this season. Hackenberg could be a viable option but with no starting experience in the NFL just yet, is already on the outside looking in.
Overall, expect to see more of the same at quarterback for the Jets as time progresses. It’ll be at least another year or two before Petty or even Hackenberg are ready to truly compete to earn a starting job. All of which means the Jets will probably have to scramble for some veteran quarterback to hold the fort once again. It more than likely won’t be Fitzpatrick but the Jets will once again test the patience of fans as they try to sort all their quarterback woes for some kind of answer in 2017 and beyond.