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QB dept. : jake heaps ~ ~ ~


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Jets' No. 4 QB, a Former HS Star, Will Put on the Blinders & Focus on Maximizing His Reps at Training Camp

 

Three of the members of the Jets' quarterbacks room are well-known by now — Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick and drafted rookie Bryce Petty.Yet there will be one more arm in training camp and that belongs to Jake Heapsicon-article-link.gif. In many ways Heaps' college and early pro career has mirrored that of Matt Simms, who moved on to Buffalo a month ago. And Heaps has a similar positive approach as did Simms in regard to his uphill battle to make it in the NFL."At the end of the day, I think what's helped me have success up to this point is putting on the blinders in terms of what's going on around me, just focusing on what I can do and how can I improve each and every day," Heaps told me recently. "I'm not focused on anybody else. I'm jus focused on how can I get better and maximizing the reps that I get."Not to beat the comparison to death, because Heaps is his own man, but he and Simms both had outstanding high school careers. Simms was a state sectional champion QB at Don Bosco Prep in North Jersey.

 

Heaps, a few years later, had, well, heaps of stats and accolades in his three years as a starter at Skyline High in Sammamish, WA :

 

■ 9,196 passing yards, 114 touchdowns to 18 INTs, a 40-2 record, and three state section titles in his three seasons as a starter

■ USA Today All-America first team

■ Gatorade Washington State Player of the Year

■ AP State Player of the Year

■ No. 1-rated quarterback in the country by Scout.com

■ No. 1 pro-style QB by Rivals.com

■ Top college recruit out of the state of Washington by MaxPreps.com.

 

Despite all the scholastic bouquets, each bounced around to three different colleges and went undrafted, before finally hooking on with the Jets as a successful rookie-camp tryout.In Heaps' case, he started out at BYU, transferred to Kansas and wound up playing in three games last year at the University of Miami. I asked Heaps what happened during his college career. He had an interesting take on his long, strange trip to the pros."It was tough and definitely not what you would expect coming out, definitely not up to my expectations," he said. "There wasn't anything personal , just a lot of different changes in terms of offense. Everybody was in transition from pro style to spread systems and running quarterbacks, and that's definitely not my deal. I'm a true pro-style quarterback, so it's exciting for me to be in the NFL and to play in a game where it's suited to my strengths."

 

One of the stops that helped him the most with this transition to the pro game was his one season at Kansas under former Jets offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, whose offense, he said, bore similarities to the scheme he's learning now under Chan Gailey."Before I got to Coach Weis, I always prided myself in my knowledge of the game and coverages and all that stuff," Heaps said. "But you have to go up to the line and make protection calls and Mike IDs and set the run game. It's a totally different story and you really have to be knowledgeable of all 22 guys out there on the field."Heaps also said he enjoyed some of the stories about the Jets and knowledge of the NFL that Weis passed on. And now he's in the pros, although in coach Todd Bowles' practice rotation philosophy he's definitely a "second-fielder."

 

It's a free climb to a roster spot, but Heaps, using his best QB metaphors, said despite the short-term disruptions of his college career, he got prepared for the long-term view, which comes into focus beginning late this month at camp at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center."If I continue to just keep working and getting myself better and learning this offense and continue to not worry about how many reps I'm getting, just take advantage of every rep that I get, I think that'll work and pay dividends for me," he said, 'and we'll see where the chips fall."

 

> http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-randylangefb/Jake-Heaps-Takes-Aim-at-Making-the-Roster/98f97018-d0c3-416b-b2d8-2986edb148ac

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