Film Review: Christian Hackenberg (Success): Pres-season Week 1 (Titans)

[JetNation]

Christian Hackenberg might be the most scrutinized second round pick in NFL history, vilified among fans and reporters alike for his lack of accuracy and progression at Penn State University.   The Jets decided to sit their prized QB prospect for an entire year, aiming to work on his mechanics, as he got acclimated to the NFL.   Early reports this year seem to indicate that Hackenberg, has worked on his mechanics, and his accuracy has gotten considerably better.  Albeit, be advised that this is just the first week of pre-season, so take all evaluation with a grain of salt.  So let’s see how he did this week:

Good Plays:

1) 

On this play, Hackenberg completes the pass to Robby Anderson, and he runs for the first down.  This is not a perfect play because Hackenberg’s mechanics are not in order.  The lead foot is facing perpendicular to the field (facing straight towards the sidelines) which means that Hackenberg is throwing across his body on this play.  However, Anderson is wide open for this pass and Hackenberg delivers the pass on point, although the ball tails towards the sidelines because it generally goes towards where the lead foot is pointed (as we pointed out in an earlier article).   This throw is also an example of his arm strength because Hackenberg throws the ball on a line to Anderson, even with inadequate mechanics.

2)  

Another completion to Robby Anderson, although this one is mechanically sound.  The only downside to this throw is that, he’s staring down Anderson from the start, which could be a problem in the future.  One of the downsides of breaking down film for the pre-season is that, there is no coach’s film to be viewed, therefore it’s impossible to tell what the defense is showing at the line.  From the defensive reactions, it’s safe to presume that the corner back was giving Anderson plenty of space.   While Hackenberg does stare down the receiver, this is very good recognition from the young QB at the line, because Anderson is bound to be open on the underneath pass.  If by any chance the slot CB slides over in zone coverage, the slot receiver would be open thereafter.  It’s the correct read to look at Anderson first on this play, although he could have disguised it better.

3) 

This is a great throw by Hackenberg, and a good read.  The Titans are showing a single high safety (once again, presumably) with press coverage across the board.   Generally, this should allow the slot receiver to have inside position on a slant (the slot CB has to defend against the out route as well) and Hackenberg makes an excellent throw with great mechanics and placement, as he hits the receiver in stride.

4) 

A well executed screen pass under duress from Hackenberg.  as he makes this throw before his receiver has even begun to turn around.  It shows very good anticipation and ball placement, as well as his ability to read the defense.  Once the initial LB moved towards the QB, his receiver was going to be open for the screen pass because the secondary LB did not have the angle to attack the pass.  Notice, Romar Morris (No. 30) miss on the block.  He should most likely invest in a tackling dummy and use it as a continuing education tax write off because this isn’t the last time he’ll miss a block.

5) 

Overall this is a safe play, but on 3rd and long, it seems extremely conservative.  It’s hard to criticize a QB without seeing what the other options are, thus we will just analyze the throw for this one.   Hackenberg shows excellent velocity and ball placement on this pass to the tight end, although the play is well short of the first down marker.   Notice the clean mechanics and how the lead foot is pointing towards the receiver.

6) 

Another good read on third down for Hackenberg as he goes through his progressions, and hits his receiver for a first down.   Notice the head turn towards the left (towards Jalin Marshall) and the reaction of the defender in the slot.  The slot defender moves towards the sideline, which leaves more area for the cutting receiver to turn up the field.  It’d be near impossible to say that Hackenberg showed veteran poise out on the field, but there are flashes of ability, where he shows that he can manipulate defenders with his eyes, and this is one of them.  Unfortunately, he has a long way to go before it become a major plus point for him.

7) 

This is a very good pass from Hackenberg on the move, with excellent ball placement.  While Hackenberg has bad mechanics at times, he has a great arm and it is put on display when he’s on the move.  This type of play would be thrown much slower by someone like Fitzpatrick, because he just doesn’t have the arm strength to pull it off.

8) 

Another example of Hackenberg going through his progressions, and standing tall in the pocket as it closes around him.  He throws this ball with good velocity, but even better placement as he puts it away from the defender.  The position of the pass allows the receiver to turn up field and get yards.  It’s a good sign that Hackenberg did not panic under pressure on this play and still went to his safety outlet.

9) 

This might seem similar to a play from earlier, but Hackenberg shows excellent velocity and ball placement on this pass.  The read on this play is simple, if the TE is well covered, then there is open space in the middle to pass to the receiver on the slant.  In this case, there was space for the pass to the TE, and Hackenberg executed the play.  Once again, notice the mechanics of the lead foot and where it is pointed.

10) 

While this play is a success, it could very well go under the “bad plays” section because Hackenberg reverts to terrible mechanics on this throw.  His hips fly open, which causes him to throw this pass mainly with his arm.  It’s impressive that he can get this much velocity on an “all arm” throw, but with a clean pocket, this has to be a throw where he steps into the pass.  The ball tails on Hackenberg a bit, but the receiver is wide open thus it doesn’t cause much issue.

11) 

This might be the prettiest pass thrown by Hackenberg all night.  While Hackenberg does look like he stared down his receiver (harder to tell without the end zone angle), he steps up into the pocket and delivers a laser to his receiver, which is placed perfectly.  He shows great mechanics on this play as well, but shows off the cannon of an arm.

12) 

A good throw by Hackenberg, although his mechanics are a bit off.  The turn towards the right, after the play action doesn’t look natural.  Most right handed QBs tend the turn counter clockwise on this play, because it sets up their momentum and lead foot going forward.  Hackenberg went the opposite way, which caused him to reset his feet and open his hips a bit too early (which causes the ball to sail a bit).  It’s an excellent catch by the receiver, and a good play overall.

Conclusion:

It’s still very early to tell if Hackenberg is the QB of the future or not, but he did look improved from the last time he was on the field.  The mechanics seem to be better, and the decision making has improved as well.  However, please remember that this is just the pre-season and most teams are playing vanilla defense, so much is left to be determined.  There will be a (Teammates Mishap) and (Bad Plays) section as well, which will be posted later.  Please check them out at your convenience.

Also please keep in mind that the telecast angles are limited, and therefore leaves a lot of guesswork in determining the routes and options.  It is extremely early in the process so we have to wait and see how he develops.

Forum Questions:

A.  If you could compare Hackenberg to one QB in the league (past or present), who would it be?

B.  Who is the No. 2 receiver on the team?

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[shevys]

Thank you! I say this all the time, but I really appreciate the effort. 

[Jetdawgg]

This effort is tremendous. Makes the site more pleasurable. No doubt that Hack has the arm strength. His mechanics have improved from last year. If the run game gets going he may be able to put points on the board. I think the Jets will be looking for RB in the next draft. 

Would be great if one is there

[Lupz27]

A.  I will get killed for this, but watching Hackenberg play he looks like Tom Brady, and by that I mean body type, and just overall the way he try's to play out there.  Obviously he does not have the mental game as Brady, or the perfected Mechanics, and every other thing Brady has, but when I watch Hack, I see a QB physically resembling Brady, and Hack actually has a stronger arm.

B.  Charone Peake by default will probably be the #2 WR unless Stewart really steps up the next few weeks.

[KRL]

Great job!!!  Film never lies

[T0mShane]

This isn't meant as a criticism necessarily, but Hackenberg only plants and throws in rhythm in four of those clips. Otherwise, he's bailing as he throws (which is something every QB has to do), but it's interesting in light of all the talk of footwork.

[Lupz27]

5 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

This isn't meant as a criticism, necessarily, but Hackenberg only plants and throws in rhythm in four of those clips. Otherwise, he's bailing as he throws which is something every QB has to do, but it's interesting in light of all the talk of footwork.

See I agree this is where I get really confused, its all well, and good to have great foot work, and mechanics, BUT it is very rare in the NFL that you have time to just sit in a clean pocket, and rip balls like it's a 7 on 7 drill, a QB needs to have the ability to be accurate most of the time while not being able to 100% set with proper mechanics, and throw, and like a beaten drum this is also why I never gave 2 sh*ts about all the talk about Mahomes terrible mechanics dude could hit a dime 40 yards down the field while running the opposite way throwing across his body while jumping who gives a sh*t how he is accurate as long as he is, how many MLB pitchers have had amazing careers with unorthodox wind ups, and proved all the he can't succeed because of this mechanical flaw nay sayers wrong?

Jets need to get Hack to trust his arm, stop thinking about how to step, where to step, just trust that he can throw the ball where it needs to be when it needs to be there regardless of how he got it there, shut off the brain thinking about that nonsense, and just get focused on making plays, and IF he has IT the rest will take care of itself.

[Larz]

5 hours ago, JetNation said:

 

3) 

This is a great throw by Hackenberg, and a good read.  The Titans are showing a single high safety (once again, presumably) with press coverage across the board.   Generally, this should allow the slot receiver to have inside position on a slant (the slot CB has to defend against the out route as well) and Hackenberg makes an excellent throw with great mechanics and placement, as he hits the receiver in stride.

4) 

A well executed screen pass under duress from Hackenberg.  as he makes this throw before his receiver has even begun to turn around.  It shows very good anticipation and ball placement, as well as his ability to read the defense.  Once the initial LB moved towards the QB, his receiver was going to be open for the screen pass because the secondary LB did not have the angle to attack the pass.  Notice, Romar Morris (No. 30) miss on the block.  He should most likely invest in a tackling dummy and use it as a continuing education tax write off because this isn’t the last time he’ll miss a block.

5) 

This might be the prettiest pass thrown by Hackenberg all night.  While Hackenberg does look like he stared down his receiver (harder to tell without the end zone angle), he steps up into the pocket and delivers a laser to his receiver, which is placed perfectly.  He shows great mechanics on this play as well, but shows off the cannon of an arm.

12) 

 

[ASH1962]

1 hour ago, Lupz27 said:

A.  I will get killed for this, but watching Hackenberg play he looks like Tom Brady, and by that I mean body type, and just overall the way he try's to play out there.  Obviously he does not have the mental game as Brady, or the perfected Mechanics, and every other thing Brady has, but when I watch Hack, I see a QB physically resembling Brady, and Hack actually has a stronger arm.

B.  Charone Peake by default will probably be the #2 WR unless Stewart really steps up the next few weeks.

A- I was thinking Vinny T. 

B - Absolutely correct. Now that Unlucky is gone. We have nobody else LOL.

[Jet Nut]

46 minutes ago, Lupz27 said:

See I agree this is where I get really confused, its all well, and good to have great foot work, and mechanics, BUT it is very rare in the NFL that you have time to just sit in a clean pocket, and rip balls like it's a 7 on 7 drill, a QB needs to have the ability to be accurate most of the time while not being able to 100% set with proper mechanics, and throw, and like a beaten drum this is also why I never gave 2 sh*ts about all the talk about Mahomes terrible mechanics dude could hit a dime 40 yards down the field while running the opposite way throwing across his body while jumping who gives a sh*t how he is accurate as long as he is, how many MLB pitchers have had amazing careers with unorthodox wind ups, and proved all the he can't succeed because of this mechanical flaw nay sayers wrong?

Jets need to get Hack to trust his arm, stop thinking about how to step, where to step, just trust that he can throw the ball where it needs to be when it needs to be there regardless of how he got it there, shut off the brain thinking about that nonsense, and just get focused on making plays, and IF he has IT the rest will take care of itself.

He was throwing off his back foot too often, wasnt stepping into his throws.  Even with a dirty pocket QB has to slide around to get to area he step into it and not leave himself with the back foot throw. Hes not throwing off his back foot, didnt the other night.  Has nothing to do with rhythm 

[Matthew007b]

Great job/effort! 

I thought Hack did really well actually.. I feel like they should just start him and get it over with.. 

Anyways thank you for the GIFS and write ups!

[win4ever]

5 hours ago, shevys said:

Thank you! I say this all the time, but I really appreciate the effort. 

Thanks.  It does take some effort, especially with the TV angle because I have to watch it like 5 times to see what the defense is showing or guess at it.  

 

4 hours ago, Jetdawgg said:

This effort is tremendous. Makes the site more pleasurable. No doubt that Hack has the arm strength. His mechanics have improved from last year. If the run game gets going he may be able to put points on the board. I think the Jets will be looking for RB in the next draft. 

Would be great if one is there

Thanks again.  I do hope people enjoy it, because I personally love breakdowns of any kind in regards to sports.  

His mechanics have improved for sure, it's certainly not perfect though, but it's leaps and bounds ahead of last year.  

I know Barkley gets rated pretty highly, but if we're near him in the draft, it means we had a horrible year, and thus need a QB.  Sort of a catch 22.  People were raving about Guice (sp? The backup to Fournette at LSU) so maybe him in the draft.  

3 hours ago, Lupz27 said:

A.  I will get killed for this, but watching Hackenberg play he looks like Tom Brady, and by that I mean body type, and just overall the way he try's to play out there.  Obviously he does not have the mental game as Brady, or the perfected Mechanics, and every other thing Brady has, but when I watch Hack, I see a QB physically resembling Brady, and Hack actually has a stronger arm.

B.  Charone Peake by default will probably be the #2 WR unless Stewart really steps up the next few weeks.

A.  Interesting comparison with Brady.  Can you expand on the Brady comparison, specifically what they are similar with.  It's interesting because Brady wasn't Brady when he was young, much more of a limited QB who improved a great deal as he got older.  He wasn't Luck or Wilson coming out, but rather grew into greatness, so I would like to hear how they were similar.  

B.  Yeah, I'm thinking Peake as well, especially because I saw Stewart out there with Petty near the end.  

3 hours ago, KRL said:

Great job!!!  Film never lies

Thanks.

2 hours ago, T0mShane said:

This isn't meant as a criticism necessarily, but Hackenberg only plants and throws in rhythm in four of those clips. Otherwise, he's bailing as he throws (which is something every QB has to do), but it's interesting in light of all the talk of footwork.

It is true, a lot of times, QBs don't have the time or space to make perfect mechanics on throws.  At one point last year, I watched a bunch of film on Brady, and he makes a ton of throws that aren't perfect mechanically because he just doesn't have the time to do so.  However, the more mechanically sound QBs make up for it innately by either compensating on the starting position of the ball or force behind the throw.  Similar to how a golfer hits a hook or fade I guess. 

One of Hackenberg's problems is his hip, it tends to fly open.  You can still throw with an open hip and be fine, but you also have to adjust your aim and force to compensate for the ball moving differently.  Going with the fade reference, you have to start the throw (or golf ball) away from the target and let it fade into the target.  I'm not sure Hackenberg has that part down.  He should however, still have a clean delivery if he does have time in the pocket. 

2 hours ago, Lupz27 said:

See I agree this is where I get really confused, its all well, and good to have great foot work, and mechanics, BUT it is very rare in the NFL that you have time to just sit in a clean pocket, and rip balls like it's a 7 on 7 drill, a QB needs to have the ability to be accurate most of the time while not being able to 100% set with proper mechanics, and throw, and like a beaten drum this is also why I never gave 2 sh*ts about all the talk about Mahomes terrible mechanics dude could hit a dime 40 yards down the field while running the opposite way throwing across his body while jumping who gives a sh*t how he is accurate as long as he is, how many MLB pitchers have had amazing careers with unorthodox wind ups, and proved all the he can't succeed because of this mechanical flaw nay sayers wrong?

Jets need to get Hack to trust his arm, stop thinking about how to step, where to step, just trust that he can throw the ball where it needs to be when it needs to be there regardless of how he got it there, shut off the brain thinking about that nonsense, and just get focused on making plays, and IF he has IT the rest will take care of itself.

Mahomes was more interesting because there was doubt about him translating to the NFL in terms of recognizing play.  I think the issue was the same with say Geno, who put up great numbers in the Air Raid, but the whole system relies on how you can see match ups develop.  In the college spread, most QBs throw to receivers that are already open so it isn't nearly as risky.  

The issue with Hackenberg is that, he doesn't adjust well to the lack of mechanics because he has a bad base to begin with.  As I was mentioning in the post above, he has to mentally adjust his target when his mechanics can't be sound and he's not there yet, which is why some of the balls tend to float.  Although he's gotten much better at it this year, and certainly from his college days.  

I really want them to take more shots down the field, with better receivers.  I saw two shots down the field, and in both cases, the receiver had no separation at all.  They were bad throws nonetheless, but it wasn't going to be a successful play most of the time because the defender was right there with the receiver.

1 hour ago, Larz said:

Lol

 

1 hour ago, ASH1962 said:

A- I was thinking Vinny T. 

B - Absolutely correct. Now that Unlucky is gone. We have nobody else LOL.

A.  Hmm, why Vinny? What characteristic about him?

B.  I probably would have cut Lucky if he didn't get hurt.  I thought he looked absolutely horrible.  I have a Petty article coming out tomorrow, and I bet he's happy that Lucky isn't there.  

It's going to be an interesting fight for the No. 2/3 role.

1 hour ago, Jet Nut said:

He was throwing off his back foot too often, wasnt stepping into his throws.  Even with a dirty pocket QB has to slide around to get to area he step into it and not leave himself with the back foot throw. Hes not throwing off his back foot, didnt the other night.  Has nothing to do with rhythm 

Last year, Hackenberg played most of the time like he was playing wheelchair football. His mechanics have improved, and he's stepping into throws better.  Not every throw is going to be perfect, especially in the face of pressure, but he looks much better out there.  

28 minutes ago, Matthew007b said:

Great job/effort! 

I thought Hack did really well actually.. I feel like they should just start him and get it over with.. 

Anyways thank you for the GIFS and write ups!

Thanks.  

I hope one of Hack/Petty starts.  I have no interest in wasting Sundays to see if Josh McCown could lead us to 7 wins.  

[NYs Stepchild]

Really nice breakdown considering the lack of film angles. Can't wait to see progress. More success, and less failure next week. Also want Hack to get more first team reps.

Really just trying to bump this thread up because I'm sick of seeing (Failure) at the top of my screen.

[Barkus]

Great job as always. This was a very encouraging start for hack. Much improved from last year. He looked like a functional NFL qb. This is step 1 in his development. Would look for him to maybe start stretching the field next and then going through progressions faster and finally being able to manipulate the defense with his eyes. 

He has an NFL arm, NFL size, apparently is smart, and seems to have a good temperment. Consistency is what makes franchise qbs. Let's see if he can continue to improve.