Kabuki Theatre

Florham Park – Mike Maccagnan is a better man that I. Not sure I could have kept my composure. It was like Kabuki Theatre.

The press conference following the second day of the draft was painful to sit through.

Mike Maccagnan was getting hammered about his quarterback situation.

There were actually questions about whether Christian Hackenberg would start this year.

Are these people on crack?

If Hackenberg started this year, it would be a dumpster fire.

After the last two challenging years at Penn State, in a system he didn’t fit, and a bad offensive line, he needs a couple of redshirt years in the NFL.

He needs a lot of work on his footwork and accuracy. He needs to leave the spotlight for a minute.

I kind of view this Jets move like what the Eagles did. The Philly brass decided that the next couple of quarterbacks drafts are going to be bad, so you need to get a guy this year.

Christian Hackenberg was the highest-rated player on the Jets value board, so they picked him.

He wasn’t picked to start this year.

You bring back Ryan Fitzpatrick, which I think it will eventually happen, and he’s the guy perhaps for the next two years, and you train the hell out of Bryce Petty and Hackenberg the next two years, and one of them emerges as the guy. May the best man win.

Think about it. The Eagles made a blockbuster trade to move up to Number Two to pick a QB who isn’t going to start this year in Carson Wentz.

So the Jets can certainly sit Hackenberg, a second round pick, for a couple of years, and develop him the right way. The old-school way. Get him back to his freshman year form when he played in pro-style offense, and looked like a potential first pick for the draft.

You have got to find a franchise quarterback in this league or your chances of winning a Super Bowl aren’t great.
So keep throwing your line in the water until you reel in a big catch.

But this idea that Hackenberg could be a starter this year is insane.

And for people to ask the GM about this is disingenuous.

If this was college basketball, and he left school after his freshman year, he would have been a very high pick. He was terrific as a freshman. Then James Franklin came in to replace Bill O’Brien, and they went to a spread offense, and the arrow on Hackenberg started to point down. Hackenberg should have transferred. The offense didn’t fit his skill set.

I totally get what the Jets are doing here.

Aside from sticking to their board, they are investing in a quarterback with a big upside if they can fix his mechanics. He’s got ideal size, a great arm and is bright.

I’m with Ron Wolf. You pick a quarterback every year. It’s a good investment.

Hackenberg wasn’t picked to start this year.

He was a value pick, with a big upside, at the most important position in football.

April 30, 2016

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