Hackenberg is in the HOUSE!!!

[C Mart]

1 minute ago, section314 said:

The same people who said the Jets "ruined" Sanchez and Geno by playing them right away, are complaining now that they gave a kid one year to adjust to life in the NFL. I swear, Jet fans have been so beaten down by everything over the years that many are actually afraid of potential success. And that is far more troubling than bashing a 21 year old kid. If you are afraid of being great, you never will be.

Spot on. 

[rangerous]

4 hours ago, C Mart said:

And this thought could be why so many QBs bust..Some, most, aren't ready for the most demanding position on a NFL football field. 

1) NOBODY is saying sit him for 5 years. 2) McNair didn't sit for 5 years..McNair came in after a 4 year career as a 22 yr rookie

It's one season. One. 1. The Jets decided to sit a 21 year old who forgo his senior year after playing 3 years in college. 

Good gawd this is such a ridiculous topic being fueled by the media idiots, which many here trashing Jets/Hack, loathe.

 

it's like some fans are using hack as an excuse to get on bowles and mac.  let things play out.  hack can either of two directions and if he pans out then he and mac are heroes.  and while it sounds troubling that hack apparently wasn't doing too much during the season the jets had already gone in with a plan to sit hack so there was no reason.  plus you have to consider the source.  an unamed jets person.  was that fitz? geno? someone else heading out the door?  once the mini camps start we'll find out way more about hack's abilities.  i'm going to be surprised one way or another.  i hope it's pleasantly surprised.

and fwiw, hack was rated 4th or 5th best qb his draft year and projected to got anywhere from 1st round to 3rd or so.

[Pointdexter]

46 minutes ago, rangerous said:

and fwiw, hack was rated 4th or 5th best qb his draft year and projected to got anywhere from 1st round to 3rd or so.

Except for pro focus, who had him as an undraftable grade.

Problem with the Hack pick is the Jets were not the franchise in position to roll the dice on him. If the Pats, or Packers, or even John Elway and the Broncos wanted to try to groom him, well they certainly have the roster and latitude that allows that luxury. The Jets are a franchise without, both the recent history of success or the roster to allow someone to sit and watch, to merit such a long shot selection. 

In pure Jets form, most fans wouldn't have touched Hack with a 10 ft pole coming out of college, but somehow our shatty management saw different. The names change, but the head scratching decisions are as consistent as anything in this world.

[rangerous]

2 minutes ago, Pointdexter said:

Except for pro focus, who had him as an undraftable grade.

Problem with the Hack pick is the Jets were not the franchise in position to roll the dice on him. If the Pats, or Packers, or even John Elway and the Broncos wanted to try to groom him, well they certainly have the roster and latitude that allows that luxury. The Jets are a franchise without, both the recent history of success or the roster to allow someone to sit and watch, to merit such a long shot selection. 

In pure Jets form, most fans wouldn't have touched Hack with a 10 ft pole coming out of college, but somehow our shatty management saw different. The names change, but the head scratching decisions are as consistent as anything in this world.

well, maybe.  the thing is , what jets qb in the past 20 years has been drafted that didn't need grooming?  and remember, they drafted him coming off the 2015 season.  i'm sure neither mac nor bowles thought things were going to blow up the way they did.  and, as bad as fitz turned out, i'm sure nobody thought he wasn't going to repeat his performance from 2015 or at least come close.  finally, going back to when bowles and mac first came in, they must have thought geno was going to be their qb or else they would've gone harder after a qb besides petty.  unfortunatley, it's all water under the bridge and no amount of hindsight is going to change where they are.

[Patriot Killa]

Don't know if this article was posted when he was drafted and I don't care to scroll through 80 pages to find out lol...but this article at least shows he has something.

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/04/07/christian-hackenberg-penn-state-nfl-draft

On track to become a top-five pick after his dazzling freshman year, the Penn State QB filled NFL evaluators with doubts over the last two seasons. With the draft just three weeks away, NFL teams are still grappling with the question: Who is the real Christian Hackenberg?

Christian Hackenberg started with his blooper reel. There was a 10-day period in early January when the quarterback didn’t throw a football. While he let the mild shoulder sprain he suffered in his final collegiate game heal, he watched every errant throw and bad decision of his three-year Penn State career.

He sat in front of a video screen in Dana Point, Calif., home of his quarterback tutor, Jordan Palmer, Carson’s younger brother. There were more of these plays than Hackenberg would have liked. More than NFL teams would have liked, too. The idea was to dissect each one, and ask: What went wrong? And how was he going to fix it?

Turns out, those were the exact same questions NFL talent evaluators would ask a few weeks later at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. One NFL head coach said he spent the majority of his team’s 15-minute formal interview with Hackenberg going through film of his unflattering plays.

Hackenberg will make the kinds of throws that separate professional passers from amateurs, the 20-plus yard deep outs and post-corner routes launched from the opposite hash mark. Then there are the bubble screens thrown at a receiver’s feet, or deep passes launched over the target’s head and out of bounds. These are the moments that confound NFL evaluators. Is Hackenberg the overachieving true freshman who surprised even Bill O’Brien by being able to run the coach’s Patriots-derived offense by opening day; or the erratic pocket passer who threw more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (12) as a sophomore, and completed just 53.5 percent of his passes as a junior?

“A mystery,” is how one NFL senior personnel executive whose team scheduled a private workout with Hackenberg puts it. Depending on if you like him or not, the executive adds, you can see what you want to see on his film.

Hackenberg, unsurprisingly, sees it more simply. “I think I ran a pro system my freshman year, and operated in it really well, and I don’t see how you get worse from that,” he says.

NFL teams don’t see how either. That, in a nutshell, is the very riddle they’re trying to crack.

* * *

There’s no tougher job in football than projecting a quarterback’s ability to play at the next level. Being in the crosshairs of this high-stakes evaluation is nothing new for Hackenberg. At Virginia’s Fork Union Military Academy, he beat out a senior for the starting job as a sophomore and led the team to a state title that year. Hackenberg quickly became one of the prized college recruits in the class of 2013.

Alabama coach Nick Saban visited the Christian military boarding school in the hills of central Virginia to watch Hackenberg practice. The quarterback chose Penn State and O’Brien, but the Crimson Tide kept calling. They reached out in 2012, when the severe NCAA sanctions in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal were announced that summer, mandating a four-year postseason ban for Penn State (this was lifted early in the 2014 season) and a reduction in scholarships from 85 to 65. They reached out to people close to Hackenberg again in 2014, after his freshman season, when O’Brien left to coach the Houston Texans.

Neither time did Hackenberg’s vow to Penn State waver, for better or for worse. And there was a lot of both. At age 18, he was the post-scandal, post-Paterno face of the program in a town where the process of moving forward is still awkward. Under those circumstances, the promise of his freshman year was amplified. Here was a confident, big-armed kid playing with 75 percent of a roster who took Michigan to overtime with a 36-yard rainbow pass that only Allen Robinson could high-point, and who went into Camp Randall Stadium to beat the BCS-hopeful Wisconsin Badgers with a near perfect passing line: 21-for-30, 339 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions.

“He was ahead of his years at 18 years old, more than any other kid I’ve been around, really,” says Charlie Fisher, Hackenberg’s position coach as a freshman. “That Wisconsin game put an exclamation mark on his growth.”

That was also his final game under O’Brien. There’s never a guarantee that a quarterback will continue to develop, but what O’Brien’s staff had seen from Hackenberg was a player who got better every week making decisions in a complicated offense. He had to make both half- and full-field reads, and could change plays before the snap, switching between run and pass or choosing the side of the field to which the play would be run based on the alignment and strength of the defense. There were some mistakes he got away with, and some flaws O’Brien wanted to coach out of Hackenberg after that first season—for example, like a lot of big-armed QBs, he needed to improve accuracy on his touch throws. But he didn’t have the chance.

 

By Hackenberg’s sophomore year, the coach he had come to State College to play for was gone, and his supporting cast had totally changed. Robinson was playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Guard John Urschel and tackle Garry Gilliam were also off to the NFL, two of four starters lost on the offensive line. Because of NCAA sanctions it was a patchwork unit: Donovan Smith was the only scholarship offensive tackle who was not a freshman, and the guard spots were plugged by two converted defensive linemen. For Hackenberg, a sophomore funk set in.

 

“For a while, Christian shut down, I think, with everybody,” says Micky Sullivan, his high school coach. “I would call him once a week and leave a message, sometimes twice a week, and I wouldn’t hear from him. He was struggling because he took so much responsibility, and the results weren’t good. He just kind of turned into himself.”

Hackenberg’s 454-yard passing outing in the 2014 season opener against Central Florida proved to be an anomaly. There’s no question that the offense brought by new head coach James Franklin from Vanderbilt was a big departure from O’Brien’s system. It leaned on spread concepts and the quick passing game, and seemed built for a mobile, zone-read quarterback rather than a pocket passer like Hackenberg.

Complicating the execution of any scheme was the porous offensive line. There were times when Hackenberg would take a three-step drop and immediately be pummeled by the likes of Joey Bosa. When he did have time to throw, he often seemed hell-bent on making something happen, forcing the ball into places where he shouldn’t have or holding on to the ball too long as he strained for a big play.

“I wanted everything, and I wanted to fix things so bad, and I wanted to be better so bad that at times I took risks that I really wouldn’t take,” Hackenberg admits. “It was just a desire to get something going; to get some type of momentum moving forward. That led to a lot of issues my sophomore year, and a lot of frustration that, ultimately, I brought upon myself.”

The blooper reel got a lot of material that year. But some NFL talent evaluators also see on his film a player who was trying hard to make it work. Penn State finished the 2014 season in the Pinstripe Bowl against Boston College, which had the 11th-ranked defense in the nation and ran a complicated system that threatened an inexperienced offensive line. Hackenberg and new quarterbacks coach Ricky Rahne spent the month leading up to the bowl game devising a system based on film study linking specific blitzes to certain BC defensive personnel groups. Come game time, Hackenberg was able to recognize where pressure was coming from before the snap and send the protection that direction. He threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns in the win, and was only sacked twice.

Penn State’s offensive identity was a moving target for most of Hackenberg’s sophomore and junior seasons (Franklin fired his offensive coordinator, John Donovan, in November of last season). Hackenberg broke 12 school freshman passing records his first season in Happy Valley, but five games into the 2015 season Franklin publicly deemed the offense’s identity one of running the football and managing the game. If they were going to run, Hackenberg focused on making the right run reads. During a rainy win against Rutgers last September, Rahne recalls Hackenberg checking out of one run play, and when Rutgers changed its defensive look, he checked back into the original play. The result was a 75-yard touchdown run by tailback Akeel Lynch.

While he let the hits and the offense’s struggles get to him more than he liked as a sophomore, people around him noticed his resolve not to let that happen again his junior season. Hackenberg actually had his lowest frequency of interceptions in 2015: One per every 59 pass attempts, compared to every 32 attempts as a sophomore and every 39 attempts as a freshman.

 

 

 

[section314]

Interesting read. Thanks.

[Harlemnite1]

7 hours ago, Jet Nut said:

No it's not.  You're making shlt up as you go along.  They were stuck between a rock and a hard place. Never thought Fitz would be back but played well enough to get a second season.  Gave them 4 QBs.  Hack was 20, there's no need to force him onto the field to satisfy fans who don't get it. There are a lot of reasons why players sit. Did Palmer suck when he didn't play in a Cincy? 

That's not what you said. Your comment below: Fitz was benched, Geno was out, Petty was starting. Every player practices because you never know what might happen. Case in point with the Jets when they lost 2 QB's in one game. With your comment it makes Bowles even worst as a coach. You don't draft people to sit and baby sit them. So now we are drafting players to look at. This is football if he can't play get rid of him and get someone in here that can. 

On 1/18/2017 at 7:27 PM, Jet Nut said:

He hadn't practiced all year.  Not once.  Do you not understand ? 

[Harlemnite1]

6 hours ago, C Mart said:

And this thought could be why so many QBs bust..Some, most, aren't ready for the most demanding position on a NFL football field. 

1) NOBODY is saying sit him for 5 years. 2) McNair didn't sit for 5 years..McNair came in after a 4 year career as a 22 yr rookie

It's one season. One. 1. The Jets decided to sit a 21 year old who forgo his senior year after playing 3 years in college. 

Good gawd this is such a ridiculous topic being fueled by the media idiots, which many here trashing Jets/Hack, loathe.

 

Nevermind

[Harlemnite1]

1 hour ago, Pointdexter said:

Except for pro focus, who had him as an undraftable grade.

Problem with the Hack pick is the Jets were not the franchise in position to roll the dice on him. If the Pats, or Packers, or even John Elway and the Broncos wanted to try to groom him, well they certainly have the roster and latitude that allows that luxury. The Jets are a franchise without, both the recent history of success or the roster to allow someone to sit and watch, to merit such a long shot selection. 

In pure Jets form, most fans wouldn't have touched Hack with a 10 ft pole coming out of college, but somehow our shatty management saw different. The names change, but the head scratching decisions are as consistent as anything in this world.

Well said. Macc mailed it in with this draft. I can see Lee being a Bowles pick but Hackenberg was all on Macc. He drove to Happy Valley to do a private workout with Hack. I don't know what he saw to make that pick but alot of team wanted nothing to do with this guy. Now the question what do you do going forward? I would draft another QB this year and make Hack either man up or the Jets move on from him in a year or 2. There are no viable QB in free agency and the jets need to draft a QB every year until they find one or two of them. That is the only way they can get out of the bad PR of taking Hack.

[FlagmanL11]

One of the worst Jets draft picks ever, and that says something.....

[C Mart]

3 minutes ago, FlagmanL11 said:

One of the worst Jets draft picks ever, and that says something.....

Because?  

[TuscanyTile2]

6 hours ago, Pointdexter said:

Except for pro focus, who had him as an undraftable grade.

Problem with the Hack pick is the Jets were not the franchise in position to roll the dice on him. If the Pats, or Packers, or even John Elway and the Broncos wanted to try to groom him, well they certainly have the roster and latitude that allows that luxury. The Jets are a franchise without, both the recent history of success or the roster to allow someone to sit and watch, to merit such a long shot selection. 

In pure Jets form, most fans wouldn't have touched Hack with a 10 ft pole coming out of college, but somehow our shatty management saw different. The names change, but the head scratching decisions are as consistent as anything in this world.

If Hack is legit it was a great decision.  I applaud the Jets for taking the chance.  I just want them to continue doing so.  Cut all the QBs except Hack (or maybe if they believe in Petty as a backup then keep him) and start over.  If we draft Deshaun Watson (and I'm not sold) then draft Darnold the following year should we have the chance.  We need to get it right at that position.  It's the entire basis for the franchise.   I'm fine not drafting a QB this year btw if they don't rate highly enough.  I'd be happy to trade down and get ammunition for the following year that we can use to trade up.

[Jet Nut]

On 1/21/2017 at 8:39 AM, thadude said:

Palmer dressed for games as a rookie at least

 

And the NFL has changed a lot since then that was 12 years ago. No longer do rookie qb's never play most who are actually good play from day 1 or at least appear in games during their rookie season

 

Theres no more "let's bench Steve McNair for 5 year" plans anymore

Who cares if he dressed.  He didn't play.  Hearing how a 2nd round pick has to play and contribute, Palmer was first overall

The NFL changing  back has a lot to do with it.  For longest period of time drafted QBs made so much money they had to play,  new slotted salaries, regardless of positions prevents that from happening and you can now sit QBs and develop them instead of playing them due to pay scale. 

[Jet Nut]

9 hours ago, Harlemnite1 said:

That's not what you said. Your comment below: Fitz was benched, Geno was out, Petty was starting. Every player practices because you never know what might happen. Case in point with the Jets when they lost 2 QB's in one game. With your comment it makes Bowles even worst as a coach. You don't draft people to sit and baby sit them. So now we are drafting players to look at. This is football if he can't play get rid of him and get someone in here that can. 

 

Ou do craft players to babysit them but you also don't draft them to play them when they're not ready.  Nothing in that comment makes Bowles even "worst" as a coach.  Actual the opposite is true.  Who says you don't draft players to develop them?  Instant gratification fans who just have to see a new QB?   You don't draft players to look at but sometimes to develop.  It's not babysitting, 

[FlagmanL11]

 

10 hours ago, C Mart said:

Because?  

He does. Look at the college stats. Should not have even been drafted. If a QB can only complete passes in the mid 50's in college, how does that translate to the pros?  Below is from a scouting report.  Not the type of QB for a needy team.  If anything, a team like GB or NO would have been a better fit.  Do you think plays and will be good?  I dont think he has a snowballs chance in hell... 

SOURCES TELL US

 "The tape is just terrible over the last two years, but he has traits and leadership. His freshman tape is good, but how do you discount everything you've seen for two years? That freshman tape is going to lead a team to overdraft him." -- NFC executive

NFL COMPARISON

 Ryan Mallett

BOTTOM LINE

 Hackenberg has the size, athleticism and arm talent of a long-time NFL starter, but his accuracy issues go well beyond just "ball placement" problems. Teams must determine if his inaccuracy is innate or a product of the beatings he's taken, and then determine if he's shell-shocked or able to round back into form. Hackenberg's tools, intelligence and experience under center should make him an eventual starter, but his boom-or-bust potential will either get a coach an extension or fired.

from another report...

Although he has special arm talent, the tape shows flawed decision-making, poor pocket awareness and streaky accuracy due to unstable mechanics. There is no question that Hackenberg will benefit from NFL coaching, but the game still moves at light speed for him and hasn't shown signs of slowing down - is he already damaged goods? 

Overall, the physical traits and arm strength are ideal for the NFL, but Hackenberg doesn't show a natural feel for the game and lacks a strong grasp in three critical areas of playing the position: touch, placement and decision-making.

[NYDreamer]

Step back for a moment and look at all of the excitement surrounding Young USC QB Sam Darnold and UCLA Josh Rosen, that is what the excitement was surrounding Christian Hackenberg after his first full year starting.  Here is my biggest concern to be honest with you.  Not having an offensive coordinator in place or QB's coach that is vested in him or Petty.  At least with all of the great QB's who sat behind others waiting their turn, they at least had consistency and time to grow.  

[C Mart]

2 hours ago, FlagmanL11 said:

 

He does. Look at the college stats. Should not have even been drafted. If a QB can only complete passes in the mid 50's in college, how does that translate to the pros?  Below is from a scouting report.  Not the type of QB for a needy team.  If anything, a team like GB or NO would have been a better fit.  Do you think plays and will be good?  I dont think he has a snowballs chance in hell... 

SOURCES TELL US

 "The tape is just terrible over the last two years, but he has traits and leadership. His freshman tape is good, but how do you discount everything you've seen for two years? That freshman tape is going to lead a team to overdraft him." -- NFC executive

NFL COMPARISON

 Ryan Mallett

BOTTOM LINE

 Hackenberg has the size, athleticism and arm talent of a long-time NFL starter, but his accuracy issues go well beyond just "ball placement" problems. Teams must determine if his inaccuracy is innate or a product of the beatings he's taken, and then determine if he's shell-shocked or able to round back into form. Hackenberg's tools, intelligence and experience under center should make him an eventual starter, but his boom-or-bust potential will either get a coach an extension or fired.

from another report...

Although he has special arm talent, the tape shows flawed decision-making, poor pocket awareness and streaky accuracy due to unstable mechanics. There is no question that Hackenberg will benefit from NFL coaching, but the game still moves at light speed for him and hasn't shown signs of slowing down - is he already damaged goods? 

Overall, the physical traits and arm strength are ideal for the NFL, but Hackenberg doesn't show a natural feel for the game and lacks a strong grasp in three critical areas of playing the position: touch, placement and decision-making.

I don't know..I'm not sure how anyone can know right now. What about his other stats?  20-10 TD/INTs his freshman year?  QB Rating 134%..You can also find plenty of reports from his freshman year, when he was playing in a version of the NE Pats pro-style system, that were lauding him.  All the reasons for his freshman year success, and past two years struggles (although 16 Tds 6 Ints QB Rating 123% his Jr season aren't horrendous) have been posted numerous times i.e. coaching change, non-pro set system, lack of scholarships, horrendous OL which consisted of 2 converted DL,

 

Published: Aug. 5, 2015

"I think he is easily a top-five pick," an NFL scout told ESPN.

Sound familiar? It should. That's exactly how former Detroit Lions president Matt Millen described Hackenberg at Big Ten Media Days last week, adding that he expects Hackenberg to leave PSU a year early and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.

The scout who spoke to ESPN didn't indicate whether Hackenberg might enter the draft in 2016 or 2017, but based on his 2014 season, a full four years of college might be best. Penn State coach James Franklin, for one, bristles about criticism of his quarterback. Behind miserably poor pass protection, Hackenberg was sacked 44 times last year and had an inexperienced group of wide receivers, as well.

"It's important to keep in mind the unique situation he was in," Franklin told ESPN. "He was a true sophomore, 19 years old, but he's looking around and he's the most experienced guy in the huddle. Now you add in a lack of a running game and a lack of protection -- that's a lot to carry on your shoulders."

So is the projection of being a top-five NFL draft pick.

At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Hackenberg has the frame NFL teams desire at the position and he has the arm strength to match any quarterback in the country. With the right physical traits already in place, he just has to concern himself with performance.

Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.

 

ESPN analyst Jon Gruden said this week that he would be "shocked" if Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg isn't drafted in the first round later this month. To put it nicely, Gruden's assessment bucked the more popular media narrative that paints Hackenberg as a broken prospect. There are some, after all, who suggest he shouldn't be drafted at all.

 

 

 

 

[thadude]

How many crappy 3rd string quarterbacks on our roster have jets fans been enamored with over the years?

 

Bollinger, Rat, Clemens, Ainge, Simms now this piece of garbage

[thadude]

6 minutes ago, C Mart said:

I don't know..I'm not sure how anyone can know right now. What about his other stats?  20-10 TD/INTs his freshman year?  QB Rating 134%..You can also find plenty of reports from his freshman year, when he was playing in a version of the NE Pats pro-style system, that were lauding him.  All the reasons for his freshman year success, and past two years struggles (although 16 Tds 6 Ints QB Rating 123% his Jr season aren't horrendous) have been posted numerous times i.e. coaching change, non-pro set system, lack of scholarships, horrendous OL which consisted of 2 converted DL,

 

Published: Aug. 5, 2015

"I think he is easily a top-five pick," an NFL scout told ESPN.

Sound familiar? It should. That's exactly how former Detroit Lions president Matt Millen described Hackenberg at Big Ten Media Days last week, adding that he expects Hackenberg to leave PSU a year early and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.

The scout who spoke to ESPN didn't indicate whether Hackenberg might enter the draft in 2016 or 2017, but based on his 2014 season, a full four years of college might be best. Penn State coach James Franklin, for one, bristles about criticism of his quarterback. Behind miserably poor pass protection, Hackenberg was sacked 44 times last year and had an inexperienced group of wide receivers, as well.

"It's important to keep in mind the unique situation he was in," Franklin told ESPN. "He was a true sophomore, 19 years old, but he's looking around and he's the most experienced guy in the huddle. Now you add in a lack of a running game and a lack of protection -- that's a lot to carry on your shoulders."

So is the projection of being a top-five NFL draft pick.

At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Hackenberg has the frame NFL teams desire at the position and he has the arm strength to match any quarterback in the country. With the right physical traits already in place, he just has to concern himself with performance.

Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.

 

Matt Millen liked Hack?

 

Sold!

 

[C Mart]

King was spot on...

19. Buffalo: Robert Nkemdiche, DE, Mississippi. This pick is one I spent a lot of time on over the weekend, and it’s easily the most interesting pick of the second half of the round. Some in the NFL are convinced the Bills will consider Christian Hackenberg here, not so much because of the Penn State roots of the owner (Terry Pegula) but because some in the organization are convinced that Hackenberg, with the proper training, can be a good NFL player. But I can’t see it. Rex Ryan’s a Tyrod Taylor guy, and he won’t want that messed with. Ryan wants a tough disruptor in the front seven from this draft, and it’s got to be someone who can get to the quarterback because the Bills were so bad at that last year. Nkemdiche comes with his share of baggage, and it’s heavy. In fact, if the Bills don’t pick him, I could easily see him sliding out of the first round.

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/04/24/nfl-mock-draft-peter-king-trades

[C Mart]

5 minutes ago, thadude said:

Matt Millen liked Hack?

 

Sold!

 

yeah I knew many would only pick that up...

[section314]

6 minutes ago, C Mart said:

yeah I knew many would only pick that up...

Maybe Millen thought Hack was a WR?

[C Mart]

Penn State's rising sophomore has been compared to some big names in his short time. While he's nowhere near their level yet, a closer look at his best 2013 work shows how high he can go.

June 19, 2014

Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg arrived in Happy Valley with an immense amount of hype surrounding him. His vast skill set and pro-grade size, coupled with a head coach who'd built up a track record working with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, had many comparing him to fellow former Elite 11 five-star recruit Andrew Luck.

If Hackenberg is able to continue to build off his promising freshman season, which included 2,955 yards and 20 touchdowns, we may very well be looking at a star in the making. But one thing is for sure; Hackenberg's hype did not exceed his production.

Let's look at the best facets of his game, based on the glimpses we've gotten at his full potential.

 The understanding

Similar to Andrew Luck's pairing with a staff led by former Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh, Hackenberg had a premier college quarterback coach guiding him his freshman season in former head coach Bill O'Brien, now the head coach of the Houston Texans.

Both Harbaugh and O'Brien are sticklers for the nuances of the position despite their different philosophical backgrounds. While Luck had the slight benefit of leaning on a West Coast-based, rhythm-and-timing offense predicated on a heavy run game, Hackenberg was thrown to the wolves in a vertical-stretch offense equipped with five- and seven-step drops, multi-read progressions, and plenty of ball-handling duties.

In fact, O'Brien installed a light version of one of the most successful schemes in recent memory; the 2011 New England Patriots offense. O'Brien's vertical scheme helped Brady throw for the second-most yards in NFL history at the time, with 5,235.

To see an 18-year-old freshman operate in the same offense as Brady was an eye-opening experience. Though the results were mixed at times, the rookie showed he grasped the complex attack.

Here is a Brady-esque throw. Hackenberg does an excellent job of deciphering coverage by first reading the single-high safety. As the route combinations develop, it becomes apparent that the post-corner route would find a void in the area defense.

Reading your keys is one thing and executing a perfect throw is another. He delivers the ball with enough velocity while leading his receiver away from the defender. The corner (or safety) had no chance to compete against the route.

Hackenberg arrived at State with very few flaws in his mechanics, but you could tell that O'Brien had him watch endless hours of tape on Brady. Everything from his stance in the pocket to his over-the-top delivery is reminiscent of the three-time Super Bowl winner.

The handle

Virtually every play starts off looking the same with Hackenberg. He does a wonderful job making handoffs and play-action fakes look exactly the same. A lot of quarterbacks will change up their arm slot or ball placement, thereby differentiating the two sequences.

In this play-action roll out -- a play O'Brien entrenched deeply into his Penn State playbook -- Hackenberg sold the deception to perfection. Additionally, Hackenberg rolled out far enough that he allowed himself time to go through his progressions. Once he spotted his target and saw the void in the area defense, he delivered a strike while still on the run. He did all that while leading his target up the field, allowing for additional yards after the reception.

Conventional wisdom says it's wise to reset, then deliver the ball with your lead foot pointed towards the target. But Hackenberg has an ability to throw strikes while in motion.

The mobility

At 6'4, 220 pounds, Hackenberg has prototypical size. He's stout enough to stand in the pocket and withstand punishment, and he's athletic enough to fit in a move-the-pocket offense with boots, sprintouts, and waggles.

But most importantly, he has an innate feel for the pocket. Combined with his athleticism, that allows him to improvise similarly to Luck (although he'll never have Luck's wheels).

Often when pundits refer to mobility, they allude to QBs like Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton, and Colin Kaepernick; players who can easily break off long runs.

But defensive players will tell you that the elusive pocket ability of quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Brady can yield similar results. Obviously, those veterans will never threaten any rushing titles, but their maneuverability in the pocket allows for explosive plays to be had by their receivers.

Here we see Hackenberg doing his very best Brady imitation as he senses the pressure by way of his peripheral vision and delivers a strike while taking a punishing blow to the midsection. Playing zone defense against a quarterback who can buy time in the pocket with his feet is courting danger.

He will eventually find the void in the zone ...

... even if it's with his feet.

Hackenberg was very astute in his reads here, as he may very well have thrown a pick-six had he let the ball go to his secondary target. He has strong enough hands to pull the ball in after going into his throwing motion. He also has a very nice slide, which is something you can't say for a lot of young QBs. He knows to get as many yards as he can and avoid taking a shot. He's simply a polished player, especially for a rising sophomore.

Multiple characteristics came into play in the above sequence: mobility, understanding of coverage, and arm strength.

It's probably getting a bit redundant, but when you're a big fan of Brady's, seeing Hackenberg make similar throws in the same offense puts a ton of things into perspective.

The arm

Hackenberg has the ability to make a variety of high-difficulty throws: comebacks, square-ins, skinny posts, and opposite-hash tosses. While his 58.9 percent completion rating may not suggest it, the low percentage is mostly due to the challenge of  O'Brien's vertical offense. Hackenberg is extremely accurate in the pocket and on the run.

Expect a jump in completion percentage with him operating out of the more user-friendly stylings of new head coach James Franklin. His prowess in the short-to-intermediate game will be very apparent under Franklin, who has more West Coast principles in his philosophy.

Franklin's offense contains multitudes, though, so expect him to still use Hackenberg's strong arm to stretch the field vertically.

With State's top receiver from last season Allen Robinson (97 catches for 1,432 yards and six touchdowns) now suiting up for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Hackenberg will have to build a rapport with another outside receiver. Sophomore Geno Lewis has the wheels to step into Robinson's shoes, as seen in the above sequence, but it may be in Franklin's best interest to make use of his plethora of talented tight ends.

More from Ian Boyd:

By fielding big targets like Breneman and James and relying on Hackenberg's arm strength, Penn State can create bigger windows and hit them well outside of the pocket. The size of these players might also give the Lions some leeway in installing passing concepts that attack the middle of the field, if Hackenberg can master the reads and timing.

If Franklin can teach the timing and the routes of his passing game effectively, the talent exists to attack and punish defenses for loading up to take away the angles and leverage in the pull-heavy run game.

At this point in his career, Hackenberg is arguably further along in his development as a thrower than Luck was, despite the more mobile Luck having a slightly higher passer rating as a freshman. His freshman numbers also compare favorably with Brady's first year as a starter, which came in the Michigan Wolverine's junior season.

If he can make sure he always drives off his back leg in the pocket, his accuracy will continue to improve in the short-to-intermediate game. Hackenberg barely scratched the surface of what he can ultimately be.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/6/19/5814212/christian-hackenberg-penn-state-quarterback

[section314]

4 minutes ago, C Mart said:

Penn State's rising sophomore has been compared to some big names in his short time. While he's nowhere near their level yet, a closer look at his best 2013 work shows how high he can go.

June 19, 2014

Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg arrived in Happy Valley with an immense amount of hype surrounding him. His vast skill set and pro-grade size, coupled with a head coach who'd built up a track record working with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, had many comparing him to fellow former Elite 11 five-star recruit Andrew Luck.

If Hackenberg is able to continue to build off his promising freshman season, which included 2,955 yards and 20 touchdowns, we may very well be looking at a star in the making. But one thing is for sure; Hackenberg's hype did not exceed his production.

Let's look at the best facets of his game, based on the glimpses we've gotten at his full potential.

 The understanding

Similar to Andrew Luck's pairing with a staff led by former Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh, Hackenberg had a premier college quarterback coach guiding him his freshman season in former head coach Bill O'Brien, now the head coach of the Houston Texans.

Both Harbaugh and O'Brien are sticklers for the nuances of the position despite their different philosophical backgrounds. While Luck had the slight benefit of leaning on a West Coast-based, rhythm-and-timing offense predicated on a heavy run game, Hackenberg was thrown to the wolves in a vertical-stretch offense equipped with five- and seven-step drops, multi-read progressions, and plenty of ball-handling duties.

In fact, O'Brien installed a light version of one of the most successful schemes in recent memory; the 2011 New England Patriots offense. O'Brien's vertical scheme helped Brady throw for the second-most yards in NFL history at the time, with 5,235.

To see an 18-year-old freshman operate in the same offense as Brady was an eye-opening experience. Though the results were mixed at times, the rookie showed he grasped the complex attack.

Here is a Brady-esque throw. Hackenberg does an excellent job of deciphering coverage by first reading the single-high safety. As the route combinations develop, it becomes apparent that the post-corner route would find a void in the area defense.

Reading your keys is one thing and executing a perfect throw is another. He delivers the ball with enough velocity while leading his receiver away from the defender. The corner (or safety) had no chance to compete against the route.

Hackenberg arrived at State with very few flaws in his mechanics, but you could tell that O'Brien had him watch endless hours of tape on Brady. Everything from his stance in the pocket to his over-the-top delivery is reminiscent of the three-time Super Bowl winner.

The handle

Virtually every play starts off looking the same with Hackenberg. He does a wonderful job making handoffs and play-action fakes look exactly the same. A lot of quarterbacks will change up their arm slot or ball placement, thereby differentiating the two sequences.

BILL CONNELLY ON HACKENBERG

"He had basically a one-man receiving corps and a running game with no explosiveness, so he was asked to create a lot on his own, and there were predictable growing pains. Then came the finale. Hackenberg completed 21 of 30 passes for 339 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions against a Wisconsin defense that ranked ninth in the country in Def. F/+. That's how you get attention."

The full Penn State guide

In this play-action roll out -- a play O'Brien entrenched deeply into his Penn State playbook -- Hackenberg sold the deception to perfection. Additionally, Hackenberg rolled out far enough that he allowed himself time to go through his progressions. Once he spotted his target and saw the void in the area defense, he delivered a strike while still on the run. He did all that while leading his target up the field, allowing for additional yards after the reception.

Conventional wisdom says it's wise to reset, then deliver the ball with your lead foot pointed towards the target. But Hackenberg has an ability to throw strikes while in motion.

The mobility

At 6'4, 220 pounds, Hackenberg has prototypical size. He's stout enough to stand in the pocket and withstand punishment, and he's athletic enough to fit in a move-the-pocket offense with boots, sprintouts, and waggles.

But most importantly, he has an innate feel for the pocket. Combined with his athleticism, that allows him to improvise similarly to Luck (although he'll never have Luck's wheels).

Often when pundits refer to mobility, they allude to QBs like Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton, and Colin Kaepernick; players who can easily break off long runs.

But defensive players will tell you that the elusive pocket ability of quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Brady can yield similar results. Obviously, those veterans will never threaten any rushing titles, but their maneuverability in the pocket allows for explosive plays to be had by their receivers.

Here we see Hackenberg doing his very best Brady imitation as he senses the pressure by way of his peripheral vision and delivers a strike while taking a punishing blow to the midsection. Playing zone defense against a quarterback who can buy time in the pocket with his feet is courting danger.

He will eventually find the void in the zone ...

... even if it's with his feet.

Hackenberg was very astute in his reads here, as he may very well have thrown a pick-six had he let the ball go to his secondary target. He has strong enough hands to pull the ball in after going into his throwing motion. He also has a very nice slide, which is something you can't say for a lot of young QBs. He knows to get as many yards as he can and avoid taking a shot. He's simply a polished player, especially for a rising sophomore.

Multiple characteristics came into play in the above sequence: mobility, understanding of coverage, and arm strength.

It's probably getting a bit redundant, but when you're a big fan of Brady's, seeing Hackenberg make similar throws in the same offense puts a ton of things into perspective.

Hey, we finally joined Facebook!

The arm

Hackenberg has the ability to make a variety of high-difficulty throws: comebacks, square-ins, skinny posts, and opposite-hash tosses. While his 58.9 percent completion rating may not suggest it, the low percentage is mostly due to the challenge of  O'Brien's vertical offense. Hackenberg is extremely accurate in the pocket and on the run.

Expect a jump in completion percentage with him operating out of the more user-friendly stylings of new head coach James Franklin. His prowess in the short-to-intermediate game will be very apparent under Franklin, who has more West Coast principles in his philosophy.

Franklin's offense contains multitudes, though, so expect him to still use Hackenberg's strong arm to stretch the field vertically.

With State's top receiver from last season Allen Robinson (97 catches for 1,432 yards and six touchdowns) now suiting up for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Hackenberg will have to build a rapport with another outside receiver. Sophomore Geno Lewis has the wheels to step into Robinson's shoes, as seen in the above sequence, but it may be in Franklin's best interest to make use of his plethora of talented tight ends.

More from Ian Boyd:

By fielding big targets like Breneman and James and relying on Hackenberg's arm strength, Penn State can create bigger windows and hit them well outside of the pocket. The size of these players might also give the Lions some leeway in installing passing concepts that attack the middle of the field, if Hackenberg can master the reads and timing.

If Franklin can teach the timing and the routes of his passing game effectively, the talent exists to attack and punish defenses for loading up to take away the angles and leverage in the pull-heavy run game.

At this point in his career, Hackenberg is arguably further along in his development as a thrower than Luck was, despite the more mobile Luck having a slightly higher passer rating as a freshman. His freshman numbers also compare favorably with Brady's first year as a starter, which came in the Michigan Wolverine's junior season.

If he can make sure he always drives off his back leg in the pocket, his accuracy will continue to improve in the short-to-intermediate game. Hackenberg barely scratched the surface of what he can ultimately be.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/6/19/5814212/christian-hackenberg-penn-state-quarterback

Nice read, but you really have to stop posting this kind of rational stuff. It goes against the "Hack sucks' mantra of all the vastly overqualified NFL scouts we have on this board.

[joewilly12]

1 hour ago, section314 said:

Nice read, but you really have to stop posting this kind of rational stuff. It goes against the "Hack sucks' mantra of all the vastly overqualified NFL scouts we have on this board.

With all due respect section314 Hack a decent sophomore season and then sucked the rest of his Penn St career. 

Lets hope for the best and prepare for the worst. 

[FlagmanL11]

6 hours ago, C Mart said:

I don't know..I'm not sure how anyone can know right now. What about his other stats?  20-10 TD/INTs his freshman year?  QB Rating 134%..You can also find plenty of reports from his freshman year, when he was playing in a version of the NE Pats pro-style system, that were lauding him.  All the reasons for his freshman year success, and past two years struggles (although 16 Tds 6 Ints QB Rating 123% his Jr season aren't horrendous) have been posted numerous times i.e. coaching change, non-pro set system, lack of scholarships, horrendous OL which consisted of 2 converted DL,

 

Published: Aug. 5, 2015

"I think he is easily a top-five pick," an NFL scout told ESPN.

Sound familiar? It should. That's exactly how former Detroit Lions president Matt Millen described Hackenberg at Big Ten Media Days last week, adding that he expects Hackenberg to leave PSU a year early and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.

The scout who spoke to ESPN didn't indicate whether Hackenberg might enter the draft in 2016 or 2017, but based on his 2014 season, a full four years of college might be best. Penn State coach James Franklin, for one, bristles about criticism of his quarterback. Behind miserably poor pass protection, Hackenberg was sacked 44 times last year and had an inexperienced group of wide receivers, as well.

"It's important to keep in mind the unique situation he was in," Franklin told ESPN. "He was a true sophomore, 19 years old, but he's looking around and he's the most experienced guy in the huddle. Now you add in a lack of a running game and a lack of protection -- that's a lot to carry on your shoulders."

So is the projection of being a top-five NFL draft pick.

At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Hackenberg has the frame NFL teams desire at the position and he has the arm strength to match any quarterback in the country. With the right physical traits already in place, he just has to concern himself with performance.

Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.

 

ESPN analyst Jon Gruden said this week that he would be "shocked" if Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg isn't drafted in the first round later this month. To put it nicely, Gruden's assessment bucked the more popular media narrative that paints Hackenberg as a broken prospect. There are some, after all, who suggest he shouldn't be drafted at all.

 

 

 

 

Johnny Bravo, he fits into the suit. Millen is one of the worst GM's in history. Hacker should have at least played in the last game. 

[Persiussa]

http://www.newyorkjets.com/videos/videos/Hackenberg-Receives-Call-from-Jets/8bd744bb-7411-4fb6-a1c9-4e5c7566a447

listen to McCagnans words on his draft day call to Christian Hackenberg. They knew he needed lots of work and knew it was going to take a good amount of time. I know everyone thinks the jets didn't have a plan or they drafted the wrong guy but the truth is that this is the jets plan. They were never going to rush Hackenberg onto the field. 

Its easier to look at how other teams handle their situation and make judgements based on how things usually are but Hackenberg is a special case. This was always the plan, the only problem is not too many people thought that fitz would suck to the degree he did this year while also going through a season ending injury to geno.  If things worked as planned no one would have even noticed Hackenberg on the bench all year. 

[Scott Dierking]

5 hours ago, joewilly12 said:

With all due respect section314 Hack a decent sophomore season and then sucked the rest of his Penn St career. 

Lets hope for the best and prepare for the worst. 

He only had one year after his sophomore year

[TuscanyTile2]

7 hours ago, thadude said:

How many crappy 3rd string quarterbacks on our roster have jets fans been enamored with over the years?

 

Bollinger, Rat, Clemens, Ainge, Simms now this piece of garbage

Simms was legit.  The others were crap.

[Larz]

35 pages on a 3rd string QB

wow

[Scoop24]

58 minutes ago, Larz said:

35 pages on a 3rd string QB

wow

Atleast it's our own QB.. and not Tampa backup QB

[Anthony Jet]

On 1/21/2017 at 8:39 AM, thadude said:

Palmer dressed for games as a rookie at least

 

And the NFL has changed a lot since then that was 12 years ago. No longer do rookie qb's never play most who are actually good play from day 1 or at least appear in games during their rookie season

 

Theres no more "let's bench Steve McNair for 5 year" plans anymore

Considering how bad the NFL qb product has been minus a select few and considering how much the rules now favor the offense maybe they should go back to "developing" instead of throwing right in the fire 

[rangerous]

frankly, since the jets don't have a starting caliber qb currently on the roster i wouldn't be too surprised if they picked watson this year or even darnold or some other highly rated guy next season.  there's a certain logic in drafting a qb until you get one. after that they can take a draft or two off or use throw away picks on one.  but that doesn't have anything to do with hack as he might be in a few months.  if he pans out, great.  if not, keep trying.  and i trust mac's assessment.  he's been looking at hack since before he was at penn state.  and obrien is apparently a hack fan.

[Patriot Killa]

3 hours ago, Scott Dierking said:

He only had one year after his sophomore year

Actually if you want to get down to the nitty gritty..he threw less interceptions per pass attempt his junior year compared to even his amazing freshman year.

[RoadFan]

1 hour ago, rangerous said:

frankly, since the jets don't have a starting caliber qb currently on the roster i wouldn't be too surprised if they picked watson this year or even darnold or some other highly rated guy next season.  there's a certain logic in drafting a qb until you get one. after that they can take a draft or two off or use throw away picks on one.  but that doesn't have anything to do with hack as he might be in a few months.  if he pans out, great.  if not, keep trying.  and i trust mac's assessment.  he's been looking at hack since before he was at penn state.  and obrien is apparently a hack fan.

 

Apparently you trust Macc more than the assistant coach that said "he couldn't hit the ocean."

Or the player that rolled his eyes when asked if Hack was worth a 2nd, and said "he'll never make it."

Those guys see him in practice every day.  They have no reason to bash him that bad.  They could have said "he has a long way to go" instead.   Unless it's true that he is terrible.

But whatevs man.