MMQB Story (Hackenberg Meeting)

[Adoni Beast]

The fact that GM, HC, OC, and QB Coach all went to private visit, at Penn State and at Jets facility, and also spent time to get to know the person shows a lot. The organization as a group obviously feels strong about this pick and did their homework, and this wasn't some solo power trip pick. Ala, Texans owner signing Osweiler without O'brien's consent, or even having met Brock

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/03/27/lack-of-obrien-osweiler-meeting-a-hallmark-of-modern-nfl-free-agency/

...which may be the reason that the Texans didn't draft Hackenberg. Some people have said "oh well if Hack was so good, then why didn't O'brien pick him?" Well, because the Texans owner, gm or whoever else already paid a boatload of money for a young QB that they think is their franchise. They are not wasting a high draft pick on another QB, when they probably feel that they are super bowl contenders now with Brock. And NO, I do not think Brock was worth it, not do I think they are contenders now with him. I am just saying that to spend that kind of money on a QB , whoever made that decision has to believe he is the real deal.

The whole Jets posse that went out to vet Hack gives me even more hope for him before I read this story, because this is obviously a player that they wanted, not a "oh look, a QB is here, and we need one of those..." (Geno draft pick)

[roscoeword]

Just now, Colgateman said:

He wouldn't be a tough load to bring down if he is so rattled from his college days he falls down Everytime a rusher gets near him.

You're not endearing him to me.

[slats]

47 minutes ago, Augustiniak said:

i saw that.  but mccags admitted to inquiring about the top pick.  they sent a buttload of people to cook's pro day.  they met extensively with lynch.  so why would the concern be only for hack.  to an outsider, the jets brass is just evaluating the top qb prospects as a group.  

Hindsight being 20/20, I think it's pretty clear that the secrecy around Hackenberg was because he was their favorite all along. 

[Spoot-Face]

2 hours ago, jetrider said:

Now I get the Penn State fixation.

 

1 hour ago, Ex-Rex said:

Mac's strength is in talent evaluation, unlike Idzik and Tannenbaum before him, so I give him and Hack the benefit of the doubt. I sincerely pray that this kid finally answers the nagging hole that has been Jets QB for years to come. I also hope Bryce Petty provides solid competition so that the team is solid even if one goes down.

lol

[slats]

1 hour ago, kmnj said:

yes the very qb we should have taken-numerous teams wanted Lynch

nobody wanted the 53% completion guy from PSU-he has lead feet like ken obrien and is tebowesque in his accuracy

 

 

There were a lot of questions about Lynch, too. Issues about immaturity, and people referring to him as "not all there" mentally. He had the low wonderlic score, and that seemed to be reinforced when discussing football concepts in interviews. While Hackenberg was sharp, focused, and displayed a love of the game, Lynch was described as vague in his answers. 

No one doubts that Lynch has physical gifts, and he fell into an ideal location. If he can't succeed in Denver, he truly was a total bust of a prospect. 

Hackenberg has all the physical tools, too, and seems to know he needs to keep both of his small hands on the ball. This is the pick they made. Now's the time to hope that Maccagnan outsmarted everybody else. 

[Spoot-Face]

1 hour ago, Irish Jet said:

Sanchez is the starting QB of the Superbowl Champions.

Fact.

The closest Sanchez will ever come to being called "a Superbowl Champion".

Truth.

[Patriot Killa]

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/05/06/themmqb-christian-hackenberg-new-york-jets-quarterback-private-workout-nfl-draft-2016

 

The Penn State quarterback won over Todd Bowles & Co. during a secret workout in early April, but he still wasn’t a sure thing. At the last minute, New York thought it would lose its man to his old college coach

 

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — In late March, NFL agent Rich Rosa fielded a call from the Jets about setting up a workout with his client, Christian Hackenberg, the polarizing quarterback from Penn State. But the team had one non-negotiable condition: it would have to remain absolutely secret.

“The word that comes to mind is intensity, just the level of intensity that they wanted to make sure it was kept extremely quiet and that nobody knew it was going to happen,” says Noel LaMontagne, Rosa’s business partner at Compass Sports Advisors.

Mired in a contract stalemate with Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Jets’ front office didn’t want the New York media to anoint Hackenberg as the franchise’s lifeline. On April 10, two weeks after the initial call, general manager Mike Maccagnan, head coach Todd Bowles, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo, and two scouts drove to State College to conduct the workout at Penn State’s indoor football facility. The Jets delegation worked out the young quarterback for an hour, testing him on the aspects of the pro-style offense that weren’t a part of the Nittany Lions’ shotgun spread offense for the past two seasons.

One of the criticisms of Hackenberg is that he can’t make quick throws under pressure. So Jets coaches sped things up and put him through quick-release passing drills. They tested to see if he could throw off balance, watched his footwork closely, and put him in scenarios that they hadn’t seen on his game film. “It was about getting a really good feel for the way they are going to coach me going forward,” Hackenberg says.

After the workout, the group grabbed an early lunch at Happy Valley Brewery, a popular spot in State College. Rosa and LaMontagne had suggested the group stay at Penn State’s facility, where they could remain completely private, but the Jets risked the possibility of being seen with Hackenberg in public. “They said, ‘No, we want him in a natural setting. We want to see him in football, but we want to see him as a person, too,’ ” LaMontagne says. Hackenberg made easy conversation with Gailey about the Masters, which was playing out on the bar’s TVs. (Gailey is an avid golfer; Hackenberg is just picking up the game.) Because it was early for lunch on a Sunday, the Jets coaches went unnoticed at the restaurant. 

The pressing need for this trip to Penn State was to spend quality time with Hackenberg, and to settle the controversy of his up-and-down college career. As a true freshman, Hackenberg mastered Bill O’Brien’s pro-style offense. But after O’Brien left to coach the Texans, Hackenberg struggled with accuracy in Franklin’s shotgun system, throwing more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (12) as a sophomore, and finishing with a 53.5% completion rate his junior year in 2015.

As part of the evaluation process, Bowles wanted to hear Hackenberg explain his challenges with the coaching change, in order put to rest any concerns about his coachability. “I definitely needed to hear from him and hear what his thought process was and how he went through changing cultures and different coordinators in a system,” Bowles says. “He was forthright with everything, he understood that he has things he needs to work on, he acknowledged the coaching changes and he tried to do well in both systems. He admitted that he had some bad games but he also had some very good games, so I was very impressed with the way he presented himself.”

O’Brien, who remains close with Hackenberg, says the Texans also gave his former charge a high draft grade. “Christian is big and strong and throws a good football,” O’Brien says. “He's shown the ability to overcome adversity. It's hard to evaluate his career. There was a coaching change, and he had to adapt. Now, I watched a lot of his film [from 2014 and 2015], and I saw some bad plays, like people talk about. But I saw a lot of good plays too. We had him evaluated as a really good quarterback prospect.”

Hackenberg also worked out for Philadelphia, Cleveland, Washington and Dallas. The Eagles were the only other team that kept it workout under wraps to the degree that New York did. “It was more than what you would normally experience from your average, everyday pre-draft workout,” LaMontagne says. “You can never read too much into that stuff, because there are always the smoke screens and the games that are being played for the right [draft] position, but sometimes things just feel a little bit different. And there were plenty of red flags, or green flags, depending on your perspective.”

According to Rosa, Hackenberg’s stock began to rise about two weeks before the draft. “The last couple of weeks he really gained momentum, because the more he got in front of teams, whether it be a private workout or a visit, they got to see how much he loves football and the passion he has for it,” he said. “He is a tough kid and he took a beating the last two years and it never fazed him.”

Three days after the workout at Penn State, Hackenberg visited the Jets facility in Florham Park, N.J. “I had a very productive conversation with Mike [Maccagnan] after his workout and they felt very strongly about him as a player and his development,” Rosa said. And Hackenberg himself thought the workout and visit went smoothly. “I had a really good vibe coming from the Jets,” he said.

When the Texans traded up two spots to jump ahead of the Jets to pick at No. 50, New York management held their breath. Was this an O’Brien play to rekindle the flame with his one-season-sensation? “The thought did cross our mind,” Maccagnan said Friday night after the second and third rounds wrapped up.

Meanwhile, at home in Palmyra, Virginia, Hackenberg thought it was Houston calling him at 8:45 p.m. Hackenberg was in his backyard playing a game of cornhole with his private quarterback coach Jordan Palmer (Carson Palmer’s younger brother) and LaMontagne, when his mom ran out the back door and whistled for her son to come inside and pick up his phone. “We walked up the steps of the deck behind him and we’re thinking that he is going to Houston,” LaMontagne says. “He is going to be a Texan, this is awesome, he’s back with Bill. And then Houston ends up picking a center and Jordan and I look at each other and simultaneously, we’re like what the f-- , what just happened? Are we witnessing a Mohamed Sanu moment here?”

Drafted by Cincinnati in the third round of the 2012 draft, current Falcons receiver Sanu was the target of a practical joke in the first round. As the Bengals were getting ready to make the 27th pick, Sanu received a phone call. It was a prank caller pretending to be Cincinnati personnel welcoming him to the team. Sanu, his family and his agents all fell for it. But Hackenberg wasn’t the butt of a joke; the Jets were on the line. Unsettled at quarterback, it wasn’t surprising that New York drafted their ninth quarterback in the past 11 years, a league-high and their fourth for a fourth straight year. But Maccagnan refused to acknowledge the obvious implications of the message sent by spending a valuable second-round pick on the most heavily scrutinized quarterback of this draft. “I wouldn’t classify him [as a starter or as a developmental quarterback],” he said. “Every player you take you would like to think they will be a starter. Even if you take a right guard in the second round, you still are going to have the same intention that you think he could be a starting-caliber player. I don’t think there is a standard that you have to fall into.”

• THE HACKENBERG RIDDLE: Jenny Vrentas on NFL teams attempt to answer the question, who is the real Christian Hackenberg?

AFC East rival Buffalo expressed as much interest in Hackenberg as the Jets did, Rosa said. Though the Bills didn’t work him out privately, they attended Penn State’s pro day and remained interested in Hackenberg throughout the process. Buffalo wanted to pick a quarterback, but weren’t willing to use a high pick on the position. The Bills ended up making their quarterback pick in the fourth round (Cardale Jones).

With the addition of Hackenberg, the Jets now have three backup quarterbacks, including Geno Smith and 2015 fourth-round selection Bryce Petty. But no starter. The team has drawn a line in the sand with Ryan Fitzpatrick’s contract, and although Maccagnan has insisted that drafting Hackenberg does not affect the team’s goal to resign Fitzpatrick, the underlying message is clear: Fitzpatrick is a bridge, and Hackenberg is waiting in the wings.

Since taking over before the 2015 season, Maccagnan has balanced his strategy between winning now and building for the future. Even though the Jets GM has made big free-agent signings (Darrelle Revis, Matt Forte), the Hackenberg pick proves this front office doesn’t view their current roster as an immediate Super Bowl contender. If they did, they wouldn’t have spent a second-round pick on a quarterback and they’d be willing to devote significant money to Fitzpatrick’s contract.

Maccagnan has a best-player-available draft philosophy, and at No. 51, Hackenberg was in the highest-rated group still on the Jets draft board—a prospect whom the decision-makers viewed, for all his flaws, as a solid kid with a high ceiling. The Jets weren’t locked in at the quarterback position with their second-round choice, but of those players rated highest, Hackenberg had the most potential.

“There is a learning curve,” Bowles said. “When we picked Leonard [Williams] last year, we had Mo [Wilkerson], Sheldon [Richardson] and Snacks [Harrison]. We knew he wasn’t going to come in and start right away. It’s no different this year. We picked the best player at the spot and it just happened to be a quarterback.”

Gailey will be charged with helping Hackenberg reach his “high ceiling’ and O’Brien thinks he’s in good hands to do that. “It's a great spot for him,” O’Brien says. “I coached for Gailey one year at Georgia Tech, and that's a perfect coach for him to learn from. Chan's a very patient guy. Good teacher.”

With the Hackenberg pick, the Jets’ quarterback situation is now even more unsettled. But one thing is certain: Of the four quarterbacks, only one has a guaranteed spot on the 2016 roster, and that’s Hackenberg. 

 

[32EBoozer]

8 minutes ago, slats said:

There were a lot of questions about Lynch, too. Issues about immaturity, and people referring to him as "not all there" mentally. He had the low wonderlic score, and that seemed to be reinforced when discussing football concepts in interviews. While Hackenberg was sharp, focused, and displayed a love of the game, Lynch was described as vague in his answers. 

No one doubts that Lynch has physical gifts, and he fell into an ideal location. If he can't succeed in Denver, he truly was a total bust of a prospect. 

Hackenberg has all the physical tools, too, and seems to know he needs to keep both of his small hands on the ball. This is the pick they made. Now's the time to hope that Maccagnan outsmarted everybody else. 

Did Hack's Wonderlic score ever get leaked?.... for comparisons sake.

[slats]

1 minute ago, 32EBoozer said:

Did Hack's Wonderlic score ever get leaked?.... for comparisons sake.

The number I saw was 24. Which isn't genius level, but it's at least in the range most teams want at the QB position. 

Same score as Geno, btw. 

[Augustiniak]

24 minutes ago, slats said:

Hindsight being 20/20, I think it's pretty clear that the secrecy around Hackenberg was because he was their favorite all along. 

and you have to wonder how much mccags learned about hack from o'brien when they worked together.  they probably talked all about his penn state experience.

[carlito1171]

Whether or not he pans out, you have to be okay with the pick. This was well thought out and well scouted from the braintrust. They dissected this kid every way possible, and everyone in the org is on the same page with taking Hackenburg..

[Maxman]

1 hour ago, T0mShane said:

The article surmises that the Jets were secretive because they wanted to shield Hack from the evil media positing that he's the heir apparent if Fitz doesn't re-sign. So, there's that.

Nice try but that isn't true.

[Integrity28]

1 hour ago, 32EBoozer said:

 

They probably had the QB's ranked Goff, Wentz and Hack

1st two were off the board and didn't want to lose Hack waiting for pick 83 to roll around.

 

I've struggled to figure out what separated Paxton Lynch from Bryce Petty. The stuff you read about both of them seems similar, but Paxton is more of a run threat... but does that justify him going 3 rounds sooner?

I dunno.

I do know he seems to be just as much of a project on paper.

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

28 minutes ago, slats said:

Hindsight being 20/20, I think it's pretty clear that the secrecy around Hackenberg was because he was their favorite all along. 

20/20 hindsight is we stayed put at 51 and that puts a ceiling on how much we like him. Obvious first response to that is that operation hush-hush was a rousing success and there weren't any conspicuous landing spots ahead of us so we didn't need to spend any extra capital to lock it up, but that's nonsense. As the picks come off the board and the cost to jump on the clock diminishes, at some point it becomes mandatory to make a move if it's to secure a quarterback you feel as strongly about as people would like to believe Maccagnan feels about Hackenberg. We sat back and let him come to us instead. The one thing this unequivocally means is that we were totally prepared to miss out on this player. But words so favorite so Super Bowl.

[carlito1171]

2 hours ago, Augustiniak said:

with all the nfl teams working out so many prospects, why was it so important for mccags to keep this a secret?  it's not like the jets weren't sniffing around all the other qbs in the draft.  very interesting.  you have to wonder at this point what o'brien and mccags discussed, and if o'brien's advocacy factored into mccags not wanting to be too attached to him from a rumors perspective.

Because NY media are bloodhounds

[jetrider]

5 minutes ago, Miss Lonelyhearts said:

20/20 hindsight is we stayed put at 51 and that puts a ceiling on how much we like him. Obvious first response to that is that operation hush-hush was a rousing success and there weren't any conspicuous landing spots ahead of us so we didn't need to spend any extra capital to lock it up, but that's nonsense. As the picks come off the board and the cost to jump on the clock diminishes, at some point it becomes mandatory to make a move if it's to secure a quarterback you feel as strongly about as people would like to believe Maccagnan feels about Hackenberg. We sat back and let him come to us instead. The one thing this unequivocally means is that we were totally prepared to miss out on this player. But words so favorite so Super Bowl.

That's exactly what I said -- we risked losing both Lynch (by taking Lee) and Hackenberg by waiting 31 more picks.

[Bleedin Green]

2 hours ago, JiF said:

Meh, it's been a mix.  Of the 9, 3 were drafted after then 2nd round.  The rest were 2nd rounders and Sanchez. 

The Jets have quite obviously sucked at drafting QB for a long, long time now, but you're overstating this a bit.  The only ones that were drafted higher than the 4th were Sanchez, Clemens, Geno, and now Hackenberg.  Obviously the first 3 all failed, so no excuses there, and we'll see how that last one goes.  There wasn't anyone who ever saw future QB starters out of the likes of Brad Smith (ha!), Erik Ainge, Greg McElroy, or Tajh Boyd.  That only leaves Petty as the other question, which... who the hell knows.

[NJ]

2 hours ago, Irish Jet said:

Sanchez is the starting QB of the Superbowl Champions.

Fact.

Guess that will ensure they're the former SB Champions ... 

[slats]

6 minutes ago, Miss Lonelyhearts said:

20/20 hindsight is we stayed put at 51 and that puts a ceiling on how much we like him. Obvious first response to that is that operation hush-hush was a rousing success and there weren't any conspicuous landing spots ahead of us so we didn't need to spend any extra capital to lock it up, but that's nonsense. As the picks come off the board and the cost to jump on the clock diminishes, at some point it becomes mandatory to make a move if it's to secure a quarterback you feel as strongly about as people would like to believe Maccagnan feels about Hackenberg. We sat back and let him come to us instead. The one thing this unequivocally means is that we were totally prepared to miss out on this player. But words so favorite so Super Bowl.

Obviously, a QB taken at #51 had a much different value than a QB they were willing to take #1 overall. But if they traded away a pick to move five spots up, that would've meant they loved him more to you? That's nonsense. 

This was a polarizing pick, who most of the so-called experts didn't have going this high. I think Mac took him there because they were concerned about the Texans and Patriots, specifically, going are him later in the round (and Mac says in the article he was concerned when Houston moved up). But doing your homework on your competition, as well as keeping your cards close to your vest, is all part of the draft game. I'd say they had a high enough level of confidence that Hack would be there in the second that it wasn't worth it to them to trade away a draft pick to get him earlier. And then I'd say they were right. 

Later on, they traded to gain an extra pick. As much as they may've sweated it out in the second, they recognized that they needed all the picks they had at their disposal and then some. 

[Augustiniak]

1 minute ago, slats said:

Obviously, a QB taken at #51 had a much different value than a QB they were willing to take #1 overall. But if they traded away a pick to move five spots up, that would've meant they loved him more to you? That's nonsense. 

This was a polarizing pick, who most of the so-called experts didn't have going this high. I think Mac took him there because they were concerned about the Texans and Patriots, specifically, going are him later in the round (and Mac says in the article he was concerned when Houston moved up). But doing your homework on your competition, as well as keeping your cards close to your vest, is all part of the draft game. I'd say they had a high enough level of confidence that Hack would be there in the second that it wasn't worth it to them to trade away a draft pick to get him earlier. And then I'd say they were right. 

Later on, they traded to gain an extra pick. As much as they may've sweated it out in the second, they recognized that they needed all the picks they had at their disposal and then some. 

draft strategy is fascinating.  jerry jones already regrets not trading more to get lynch.  the jets 'got lucky' nobody trumped them for him.  

mccags played the odds, figuring teams ahead of him in the 2nd already had qbs and wouldn't be taking a developmental one in round 2, and also assuming a team like NE wouldn't 'elway' him ala lynch.  it worked, they got their guy, for better or worse.

[JohnnyLV]

Starting to get a feeling from the reports coming out that Hack is our Day 1 starter.

[CrazyCarl40]

2 minutes ago, johnnysd said:

Starting to get a feeling from the reports coming out that Hack is our Day 1 starter.

What reports? He hasn't even thrown one football yet. Links?

[32EBoozer]

2 minutes ago, CrazyCarl40 said:

What reports? He hasn't even thrown one football yet. Links?

All the armchair GM's on this board!

We've got 3 pages of links in this thread alone! LOL!

[SenorGato]

While I refuse to say this guy is going to be good, I like Hackenberg. I've always been a sucker for prototypical size and tools combined with a high pedigree, even a weird high pedigree.

[ChuckkieB]

Nice to read good things about one of our QB's for a change. 

[JetBlue]

27 minutes ago, SenorGato said:

While I refuse to say this guy is going to be good, I like Hackenberg. I've always been a sucker for prototypical size and tools combined with a high pedigree, even a weird high pedigree.

Okay I will say it for you. The guy is going to be good.

[SenorGato]

2 minutes ago, JetBlue said:

Okay I will say it for you. The guy is going to be good.

I thought he'd end up the slam dunk best QB in this draft way back in 2014. Hell, I thought he'd be an elite QB prospect in general back then...Combine that with a low opinion of this draft and that pretty much sums up why I won't bash the pick.

[section314]

1 hour ago, jetrider said:

That's exactly what I said -- we risked losing both Lynch (by taking Lee) and Hackenberg by waiting 31 more picks.

I don't think the Jets were going to take Lynch even if the draft was still going on tonight.

[Warfish]

Quote

New York drafted their ninth quarterback in the past 11 years, a league-high

 

[C Mart]

4 hours ago, Irish Jet said:

Sanchez is the starting QB of the Superbowl Champions.

Fact.

 I really don't know the purpose of this

Defending SB 

[C Mart]

1 hour ago, johnnysd said:

Starting to get a feeling from the reports coming out that Hack is our Day 1 starter.

You can't be serious. Can't be. 

[YankeeJet22]

1 hour ago, ChuckkieB said:

Nice to read good things about one of our QB's for a change. 

Geno had a very good training camp before the sucker punch.

[JustInFudge]

3 hours ago, T0mShane said:

Does Hack get your tongue in cheek endorsement? 

I wasnt dead set against Hack as the one and only prospect I wanted nothing to do with...everyone knew that was just a shtick except for the dense ones. 

[Jet Nut]

4 hours ago, kmnj said:

yes the very qb we should have taken-numerous teams wanted Lynch

nobody wanted the 53% completion guy from PSU-he has lead feet like ken obrien and is tebowesque in his accuracy

 

 

You mean a QB whos never lined up under center, ran a huddle, called his own play, called and audible, checked down and played against inferior competition and once the competition got stiff, played like shlt.

Kind of like Geno in college only worse.

 

[Joe Jets fan]

18 minutes ago, YankeeJet22 said:

Geno had a good training camp before running his mouth to the wrong guy.

Fixed