Hours after Jets QB coach Jeremy Bates said there was no rank and no order with his signal callers, Bryce Petty told the media his preparation remains unchanged.
"I look at it every day to be the starter. Since I got here, that mentality, that mindset, hasn't changed," he said.
In the midst of a QB competition with 15-year veteran Josh McCown and second-year passer Christian Hackenberg, Petty had a solid second minicamp practice and impressed with his accuracy. After two years under Chan Gailey, Petty is grasping offensive coordinator John Morton's attack.
"I've done well. It's a big playbook. It's a lot to master," he said. "That's what we want to do in the quarterback room is master our playbook. That's our bread and butter. All three of us have done a really good job of owning it and Coach Bates has done a heck of a job preparing us. I'm excited about that and I just have to keep growing. Keep reading defenses, keep mastering protections and stay on the field."
Top Photos from Wednesday's Mandatory Minicamp Practice at 1 Jets Drive
A full participant throughout the spring, the 6'3", 230-pound Petty had offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. He appeared in his first six professional games last season, starting four while completing 56.4% of his passes with three touchdowns and seven interceptions.
"It helped a lot, just being in there. You can learn from mental reps, but there's just something to be said about getting in there and getting hit from a strong safety and saying have to move the protection over there. Those things, you learn from, you grow from as you see it," he said. "I'm very confident. That's the best part, the whole team is confident. We're excited about this year and finishing up this minicamp strong."
The Jets will conclude their offseason activities on Thursday and then the team won't meet again until training camp. Petty believes the offense has come a long way in a short time.
"You really want to end spring ball, the offseason, on a good note. We've come a long way," he said. "I'm so, so impressed with the guys and how they've trained, how they've learned. It's a big playbook, it's a fun playbook. Guys have really came in and attacked it. It's all about ending on a good note for us as an offense and getting ready to attack the season."
