It's been a bit of a summer roller-coaster for the Jets quarterbacks. Saturday was a miniature Kingda Ka, with the QBs (except for Josh McCown) struggling to score points and yet otherwise showing good accuracy with no interceptions.
Monday's practice was something of a Wicked Cyclone for the offense as the Jets' pass rush stormed through the offensive line for double-digit "sacks."
Tuesday was Phantom's Revenge for the offense.
"By my trained eyes, I would say it was a good day," said McCown. "Guys were throwing the ball well and catching the ball and running around. We need to keep stacking those."
And one of the biggest thrills of the practice inside the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center fieldhouse was Christian Hackenberg's 50-yard longball to newly arrived WR Dan Williams on a left-side go route.
Many eyes continue to be trained on "Hack" and the second-year man's progress. And every word from him and his coaches are weighed for significance. For instance, today Morton met with reporters before practice and said of Hackenberg's showing against the Titans: "Whatever the situation is, whatever the type of throw it is, I thought he handled it very nicely. He was poised and that's what you want to see. Basically, he's a rookie."
Hackenberg, asked what he thought of the "rookie" quote, said, "No, I don't think I'd say that. I just feel good with the opportunities I've been given and being able to go out and take advantage of them this year."
Morton meant it as a positive statement. After not playing at all in last year's regular season and now learning the OC's new offense along with McCown and Bryce Petty, he is a lot like a first-year man. And many NFL rookies have been known to play lights-out once the lights come on.
McCown said the next step in Hackenberg's personal roller-coaster is "first and foremost your process. What I'm going to do every week to get ready for Sunday, how I'm going to train myself to get ready for practice. I think young players, sometimes they come in and they don't really understand what it's going to take for them to be good, or they look at a guy and they say, 'Oh, man, I'm going to do it like him.' But maybe what he does is not good for you.
"It's really finding his process and what he's going to have to do, both he and Bryce, to help themselves be ready every Sunday."
Or for this next Saturday night, when the quarterback corkscrew takes the Jets into Detroit's Ford Field.
