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Christian Hackenberg- Foot Mechanics


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Hackenberg-mechanics-1.gif?fit=636%2C356

The possible rise or fall of Christian Hackenberg is possibly the biggest subplot of the 2017 season for the New York Jets.   The team does not have a franchise QB right now, and this is a make or break year for both Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg.  Fans are thrilled about the possibility of drafting a Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, or Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL draft, and if the season goes according to pundits, the Jets will be in prime position to pick one of them.   However, the one big caveat in the situation is the progression of Christian Hackenberg, especially with his accuracy.  Hackenberg showed mental aptitude by picking up a pro-style offense as a freshman at Penn State University, and he’s always had a strong arm.  Unfortunately, his mechanics are atrocious at times, causing too many errant throws.  If Hackenberg improves on mechanics, his accuracy will naturally improve, which should help him live up to his potential.  To understand what he might be doing right at practice this year, we first have to understand the problem at hand.  So let’s examine the issues with his foot placement.

1) Hackenberg-mechanics-1.gif?resize=636%2C

This play is from last year’s pre-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.  Notice the foot placement of Hackenberg prior to this throw, as his it’s not inline with the target at all.  He opens up his hips far too wide, which causes his body to naturally yank the ball towards where his foot is pointing towards.   The throw sails wide of the receiver, and it’s an incomplete pass.

2) Hackenberg-mechanics-2.gif?resize=636%2C

Same game, similar problem.  On this play, Hackenberg doesn’t step into the throw, completely opens up his hips, which causes this ball to be an “all-arm” throw with the ball again showing tendency to move towards where his legs are pointed.  This is a bad throwing motion because it’s not inducive to accuracy, nor does it allow you to achieve maximum velocity.  The ball sails wide, and is slow enough for the CB to undercut the throw, but the inaccurate pass prevents an interception.

3) Hackenberg-mechanics-3.gif?resize=636%2C

Do you see a pattern?  Same hips wide open, inaccurate pass.  On this play the ball sails too high, and goes for an incomplete pass because it’s another “all-arm” throw.

4) Hackenberg-mechanics-4.gif?resize=851%2C

This goes back to college as well, and notice how he does not step into this throw at all, shows “lazy feet” and has the ball sail.

5) Hackenberg-mechanics-5.gif?resize=851%2C

On this throw, notice where the feet is pointed, as this is the opposite of the other throws that we have seen.  He doesn’t follow through with his foot, which causes his hips to be closed, which causes another “all-arm” throw.  His feet is pointed towards the sideline, and the ball sails towards the sideline.  He has a partial excuse here since the rusher is coming towards him, but the point of this exercise to show the effects of foot mechanics on ball placement.

6) Hackenberg-mechanics-6.gif?resize=851%2C

Open hips, all arm throw, and can’t achieve accuracy or velocity again.  Hackenberg had time to step into this throw, but his mechanics under duress evades him, and he throws this ball with horrible foot placement.  The throw naturally is inaccurate and doesn’t even reach the receiver.

7) Hackenberg-mechanics-7.gif?resize=851%2C

This one is a bit harder to see, but he’s actually doing the throw across hips again.  The lead foot isn’t pointing towards the receiver, it’s towards the sideline, and the ball goes towards the sideline.

Now, that you have seen those mechanical issues, what is the solution?  When a QB throws a pass, the lead foot needs to be pointed towards the receiver (or a couple of inches to the left- if you are a right handed QB) and then let your hips be followed by your shoulder.  It’s the ideal throwing motion.

Joe-Montana-mechanics-1.gif?resize=851%2

Here we have Joe Montana explain the throwing motion, with how feet needs to be pointed towards the target, and to follow through.  It’s a short video, and click here for the link.   It’s a short video about QB mechanics, with foot and hip movements.

Pennington-mechanics-1.gif?resize=851%2C

This is part of a long series of videos by Chad Pennington, where he focuses in on QB mechanics.  He mentions the same theory of pointing your foot towards your target (he allows for a couple of inches to the left) and then letting your hips be chased by your shoulder, thus taking full advantage of your potential energy.  Click here for the video.

Jim-Harbough-mechanics-1.gif?resize=851%

Here is a long video by Jim Harbaugh on QB mechanics and other stuff at a coaches camp.  The part about pointing your foot towards the target is near the 32 minute mark of the video, and click here for the link.  It’s a good watch, although he does use a bit of NSFW language during the video.

There are countless other videos out there expressing the same idea, but these three folks are pretty famous around these parts and lauded for their attention to detail.   So how has Christian Hackenberg looked so far this year?

These two videos are from one of the best beat writers for the Jets in Connor Hughes, and his Instagram page, click here for the link.

Connor-Hughes-1.gif?resize=600%2C605

What do you notice on this play?  Foot placed directly at the receiver, the shoulders are following the hips and the throw is on point.  Hackenberg isn’t letting his hips fly open on this play, and causing his arm to do all the work.

Connor-Hughes-2.gif?resize=600%2C335

This play goes for an incomplete pass, but again Hackenberg shows improved mechanics with the foot slightly to the left of the receiver (if not directly at him) and the ball is accurate in terms of horizontal accuracy.  Unfortunately, the vertical accuracy is a bit off, although it seems as if it might have been a miscommunication about the timing of the play since it’s early in training camp.

Both of these two examples seem to show improved mechanics from Hackenberg.  However, it is EXTREMELY early in the process to proclaim anything, since these are just two examples in practice.  The sample size is very much limited, so this is not concrete proof that his mechanics have improved.  However, this is the best thing to come out of these practices this year because these early practices are exceedingly hard to gauge QB performance, since QB play relies heavily on timing.   In these two examples, Hackenberg has seemed to acknowledge the issues facing his foot placement, which should help his accuracy.

While this could be construed as making excuses for Hackenberg, part of his mechanical issues stem from the fact that he had a terrible offensive line in college.  With rushers consistently in his face, it seems as if he started to rush his throws, causing inaccurate throws.  For baseball fans, it’s similar to how an infielder handles a ground ball for a fast runner, rather than a slow runner.  You will see them compromise on mechanics to speed up the process, which leads to an uptick in errant throws.  It’s a similar theory with Hackenberg (or any QB behind a bad offensive line), who might have felt as if he needed to hurry up his motion to avoid getting hit.

It’s also important to remember that these are ideal condition mechanics.  If there is a rusher in the face of a passer, and the ball just needs to get out, it’s normal to see any QB out there abandon his mechanics to avoid the sack.  Hackenberg, unfortunately, had a habit of abandoning his mechanics far too often when he had space to operate.  So it’s important to see Hackenberg’s mechanics in game type situations as well to see if the adjustments are sticking under pressure.

Hackenberg was widely panned during the draft process because of his accuracy issues.  If he was accurate at Penn State, then he’s a first round QB easily in the draft.  Since he wasn’t an accurate QB, many people predicted him to fall to the third or fourth round (if not worse).  The Jets seemed to pick him high with the belief that his issues are mechanical, and therefore can be corrected.  It’s a gamble for sure, but if they can fix his accuracy issues, then fans won’t be talking about the curse of the second round pick for a long time.

Hackenberg’s progress is basically the story of the off-season for the Jets (be it positive or negative) so it will be interesting to see if the mechanical changes are permanent, or just the result of a short sample size.  We ask anyone covering the team with access to the practices to please cover the mechanical improvement (or stagnation) from Hackenberg and the accuracy of his passes.

Forum Questions:

A) How confident are you in the new coaching staff to preach good mechanics to Hackenberg?

B) What is your player comparison for Hackenberg as the upside or best case scenario?

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Guys, we are so close to having our own Brady. He just needs to learn to point his foot at his target, which is basically what I taught my 3.5 year old daughter earlier this spring and she understands it... so Hack obvi = stud now.

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Just now, Charlie Brown said:

Wow !!!

Just great work.  The links listening to Walsh alone would have made it a wonderful piece but the breakdown of Hack was just excellent.  

Thank you.  

Agreed great post, don't let my goofing suggest otherwise.

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The second round pick used to pick Hack is "sunk."  The only issue now is whether he can be developed.  

Given all the issues presented, it is my view that he was clearly overdrafted.  But we are where we are.  

History has shown players like Fitz and McCown taking years to develop but have long careers in the NFL.   That could be Hack.  The question is whether there is enough time in his contract for the Jets to make him useful.  

I am not feeling Hack will be ready this year.  I can see next year being much better, so people should not panic and look to cut him this year if that is the case.  The Jets likely pick a QB high next year, and Hack can be our Glennon while that QB learns.  I don't see the Jets picking top 3.  The defense will bail them out.  

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17 minutes ago, varjet said:

The second round pick used to pick Hack is "sunk."  The only issue now is whether he can be developed.  

Given all the issues presented, it is my view that he was clearly overdrafted.  But we are where we are.  

History has shown players like Fitz and McCown taking years to develop but have long careers in the NFL.   That could be Hack.  The question is whether there is enough time in his contract for the Jets to make him useful.  

I am not feeling Hack will be ready this year.  I can see next year being much better, so people should not panic and look to cut him this year if that is the case.  The Jets likely pick a QB high next year, and Hack can be our Glennon while that QB learns.  I don't see the Jets picking top 3.  The defense will bail them out.  

At some point you have to play the guy. And work off improving from actual game experience. That footwork can go down hill again once defenses are flying around him. 

I do think we're in better hands with Bates and Morton, I'm excited to see how things unfold.

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2 hours ago, Integrity28 said:

Guys, we are so close to having our own Brady. He just needs to learn to point his foot at his target, which is basically what I taught my 3.5 year old daughter earlier this spring and she understands it... so Hack obvi = stud now.

So let's see your daughter is 3.5 now, in 20 years given today's equal everything societal norms - we could be drafting her #1 for the 2037-2038 season :lol:.

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3 minutes ago, Matt39 said:

The issue is he's got tiny hands for a QB. It's why he's so inconsistent throwing the ball. The footwork is fine. 

The footwork may be fine now , but it certainly wasn't his final 2 years at PSU or early on here.

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2 minutes ago, 56mehl56 said:

The footwork may be fine now , but it certainly wasn't his final 2 years at PSU or early on here.

No QB has perfect footwork, the game moves too fast for every throw to be properly executed. Most QB's can compensate with grip. Hack cant. Trying picking up one of the Duke footballs if you're ever in Dicks or Sports Authority- that thing is tough to grip if your hands are smallish. Maybe we can secretly let some air out of it.

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1 minute ago, Matt39 said:

No QB has perfect footwork, the game moves too fast for every throw to be properly executed. Most QB's can compensate with grip. Hack cant. Trying picking up one of the Duke footballs if you're ever in Dicks or Sports Authority- that thing is tough to grip if your hands are smallish.

TMI

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10 minutes ago, 56mehl56 said:

So let's see your daughter is 3.5 now, in 20 years given today's equal everything societal norms - we could be drafting her #1 for the 2037-2038 season :lol:.

That you had to qualify the joke in this way. 

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I love these threads.  I really do.  I appreciate the effort and thought that go into them but this one...I'm just having a hard time with.  We're literally discussing a player who was taken in the 2nd round and the fact he doesnt know know you're supposed to step into a throw with your opposite foot pointing in the direction of your target.  

Like, we're actually going to debate whether or not Hack is capable of doing the most basic mechanic in the art of throwing anything and if a professional coaching staff is strong enough to teach this mechanic.  This is actually happening? 

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Just now, JiF said:

Like, we're actually going to debate whether or not Hack is capable of doing the most basic mechanic in the art of throwing anything and if a professional coaching staff is strong enough to teach this mechanic.  This is actually happening? 

you got anything better to do today?

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You'd think he'd have this pointing thing down by now. Point is, his foot mechanics are horrible because he was hit more than a piñata while at Penn State.  2nd coming of Jim Everett.  He'll have to get over it if he's to succeed and show progress this year to prevent Jet brass from going with a QB in next years draft. 

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13 minutes ago, JiF said:

I love these threads.  I really do.  I appreciate the effort and thought that go into them but this one...I'm just having a hard time with.  We're literally discussing a player who was taken in the 2nd round and the fact he doesnt know know you're supposed to step into a throw with your opposite foot pointing in the direction of your target.  

Like, we're actually going to debate whether or not Hack is capable of doing the most basic mechanic in the art of throwing anything and if a professional coaching staff is strong enough to teach this mechanic.  This is actually happening? 

We can't redo the pick. It's been made. He's here, it's been said over and over he should sit for at least a year to work on some issues. He's done so, so here we are...

It's better then seeing nothing has changed. 

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Give me in-depth, detailed articles everyday over the agenda driven narratives that are pushed in

the "mainstream" media.  Repeating the same things about the Jets from now until September is

beyond boring:

- They have the worst roster in the league

- They'll be in the top 5 of the 2018 draft

- These are the top QB's in the 2018 draft ...

Blah, blah, blah

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I suspect his foot placement has typically been fine in practice.  The issue is more along the shell-shocked, David Carr syndrome.  So obviously drilling it in to him in the offseason / practice is the right thing to do.  But we'll just have to wait and see how he does in games...

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16 minutes ago, MDL_JET said:

We can't redo the pick. It's been made. He's here, it's been said over and over he should sit for at least a year to work on some issues. He's done so, so here we are...

It's better then seeing nothing has changed. 

And they probably will never say it but IMO part of the reason to "redshirt" him last yr was because he got the sh*t kicked out of him the prior two seasons at PSU. It's so clear via the stats. And who knows how many times he was hit while getting the pass off.  It would be surprising if any QBs mechanics didn't get messed up (especially a 19-20 yr old kid)..But 1 credit to him is he got up after each hit and got back into the huddle, knowing he was most likely getting hit again. It's been debated who's fault it is. Sure he deserves some of the blame but just look at the stats.  It's clear as day..

So the Jets, rightfully so, sat him a year and let him gather himself which it turn allows them to break him down and build him back up..

We won't know if his footwork issues have truly been corrected until he gets into the heat of game action.  

Freshman - 12 games - sacked 21 times

Sophomore-13 games - sacked 44 times 

Junior season-13 games - sacked 38 times. 

http://stats.washingtonpost.com/cfb/players.asp?id=229985

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1 hour ago, JiF said:

I love these threads.  I really do.  I appreciate the effort and thought that go into them but this one...I'm just having a hard time with.  We're literally discussing a player who was taken in the 2nd round and the fact he doesnt know know you're supposed to step into a throw with your opposite foot pointing in the direction of your target.  

Like, we're actually going to debate whether or not Hack is capable of doing the most basic mechanic in the art of throwing anything and if a professional coaching staff is strong enough to teach this mechanic.  This is actually happening? 

I don't think its an issue of him not knowing what to do , its an issue of him re-learning what to do repetitively .  Like a golf slice , we all know how to fix it , its breaking bad habits and learning to do things the correct way that's difficult. He developed really bad habits with his mechanics his final 2 seasons at PSU.

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52 minutes ago, KRL said:

Give me in-depth, detailed articles everyday over the agenda driven narratives that are pushed in

the "mainstream" media.  Repeating the same things about the Jets from now until September is

beyond boring:

- They have the worst roster in the league

- They'll be in the top 5 of the 2018 draft

- These are the top QB's in the 2018 draft ...

Blah, blah, blah

thats why I call them the "LAMEstream media"

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the problem with rebuilding a player's mechanics is that under stress the old habits often emerge

Hack might be able to look a certain way in practice in shorts against no defenders (it should be noted that the "good example" he airmailed the pass and that OOF noise was the ball hitting a camera man) 

but whether he can maintain that rebuilt mechanics under pressure is a whole nothing thing entirely. Once the real pass rush starts what will this player do? Not to say it's impossible just saying it takes longer than a few months to fix years and years of bad habits.  

 

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