(SP) – Despite Christian Hackenberg’s continued struggles in Jets OTAs again this year, team management says they remain fully confident the 2016 2nd Round pick can be their starter for Week 1 and beyond in the 2017 season.
“I know he’s getting a lot of criticism about throwing interceptions and just hitting random people and objects with passes on the sidelines, but I really like what I see so far,” said head coach Todd Bowles. “Christian is exactly what we are looking for.”
While most observers say Josh McCown has clearly played the best in the Jets quarterback group of McCown, Hackenberg and Bryce Petty, with Petty showing second, general manager Mike Maccagnan says Hackenberg is the clear frontrunner.
“I see Hackenberg as the perfect quarterback to get us where we want to go,” he said. “But I’m really confident in the entire group of quarterbacks that we have here. We can’t lose regardless of who is playing. And by can’t lose, I mean, of course, that we will only lose.”
Hackenberg says he is not humiliated by knowing the Jets are high on him because they want to go 0-16 and get the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft.
“If I cared about being humiliated, I would have quit playing football a long time ago,” he said. “I would have been done my sophomore year in college. I want to make the most of this opportunity. I guarantee you this: no football fan will ever forget the name Christian Hackenberg after this year.”
The former Penn State signal caller says team management has told him it’s his job to lose.
“They said those exact words: ‘It’s your job to lose. Your job is losing,'” he said. “I appreciate the support.”
