Joe Namath on Christian Hackenberg

[joewilly12]

By Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 
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on May 10, 2016 at 2:10 PM, updated May 10, 2016 at 2:43 PM

 

 

 

Can Christian Hackenberg be the Jets' quarterback of the future?

Joe Namath — the Jets' most legendary quarterback (and most legendary player, period) — wasn't ready to answer that question Tuesday.

But Namath likes what he's seen from Hackenberg, a former Penn State star whom the Jets recently drafted in Round 2.

"Hackenberg looks like he can develop," Namath told reporters at BTIG Charity Day in Manhattan. "Hopefully, he can. I don't know him enough, really. I like him from what I've seen at Penn State, from his freshman year on." 

Namath is familiar with Hackenberg, because Namath grew up in western Pennsylvania, not far from Penn State. He still has family there. 

Grading Jets' 2016 draft picks

"I'd get back and I'd talk to my family, and they like what they've seen [from Hackenberg]," Namath said. "The interviews that he's done, he looks pretty solid to me. He's well-schooled. Physically, he seems to have very good size.

"I started getting picky and looking at his footwork and his [throwing] motion, too. I think it's a little early for that. But I didn't see anything that I'd say, 'Ah, he needs to do this. He needs to tighten his motion here.' I didn't see any of that. It's between the ears, how he develops that way." 

That indeed is true. The mental aspect of playing in the NFL — reading defenses, etc. — can be a challenge for young quarterbacks. How will Hackenberg handle it? Namath, at least, is looking forward to watching him from afar. 

Staff writer Jordan Raanan contributed reporting.

Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.

[Integrity28]

21 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

Namath is familiar with Hackenberg, because Namath grew up in western Pennsylvania, not far from Penn State. He still has family there. 

Good thing Namath is from there, otherwise it's possible he'd never have seen him play a single snap of football.

LOL, it's amazing that writers get paid at all for this sh*t.

[win4ever]

Wasn't Namath the one that thought Sanchez would be great?

He was a great player for the Jets, but honestly I couldn't care less about his QB evaluations.   Whenever, I hear him talk, he sounds like he took a few too many hard hits to the head at times.  

[Patriot Killa]

4 minutes ago, win4ever said:

Wasn't Namath the one that thought Sanchez would be great?

He was a great player for the Jets, but honestly I couldn't care less about his QB evaluations.   Whenever, I hear him talk, he sounds like he took a few too many hard hits to the head at times.  

This.

[southparkcpa]

14 minutes ago, win4ever said:

Wasn't Namath the one that thought Sanchez would be great?

He was a great player for the Jets, but honestly I couldn't care less about his QB evaluations.   Whenever, I hear him talk, he sounds like he took a few too many hard hits to the head at times.  

I dont remember that... I remember him being critical of Mark taking snaps and his maturity around the ball.

[Colgateman]

18 minutes ago, win4ever said:

Wasn't Namath the one that thought Sanchez would be great?

He was a great player for the Jets, but honestly I couldn't care less about his QB evaluations.   Whenever, I hear him talk, he sounds like he took a few too many hard hits to the head at times.  

Don't you ever sh*t talk Namath. He is the one guy who is a bright spot in our depressing history 

[southparkcpa]

2 minutes ago, Colgateman said:

Don't you ever sh*t talk Namath. He is the one guy who is a bright spot in our depressing history 

Without Joe...we are the friggin Detroit Lions.

[nyjunc]

7 minutes ago, Colgateman said:

Don't you ever sh*t talk Namath. He is the one guy who is a bright spot in our depressing history 

Joe was part of a team that is one of the lone bright spots in our history.  Joe's career overall was a disappointment mostly b/c of injuries but durability counts.  I like Joe, I appreciate what he did(even though I wasn't alive) but I get tired of the media asking his opinion.  what is he going to say about hack? he sucks and it's a terrible pick?

[nyjunc]

27 minutes ago, win4ever said:

Wasn't Namath the one that thought Sanchez would be great?

He was a great player for the Jets, but honestly I couldn't care less about his QB evaluations.   Whenever, I hear him talk, he sounds like he took a few too many hard hits to the head at times.  

To be fair, sanchez helped get us closer to a SB than at any point since SB III.

[batman10023]

35 minutes ago, Integrity28 said:

Good thing Namath is from there, otherwise it's possible he'd never have seen him play a single snap of football.

LOL, it's amazing that writers get paid at all for this sh*t.

the dudes probably making like $75k a year.

[joewilly12]

Sad situation when Jets fans mock and ridicule Joe Namath. 

[David Harris]

Joe's actually been right more than not. I know because I'm usually pissed off when he's critical but he turns out to be right.

[win4ever]

28 minutes ago, southparkcpa said:

I dont remember that... I remember him being critical of Mark taking snaps and his maturity around the ball.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-legend-joe-namath-rave-review-rookie-qb-mark-sanchez-article-1.404888

There were others, but this one was the first I could see.  

[win4ever]

26 minutes ago, Colgateman said:

Don't you ever sh*t talk Namath. He is the one guy who is a bright spot in our depressing history 

Lol, I respect him as a player, but he's done nothing since to indicate his value as a talent scout.   Around the same time, Pontiac was a bright spot in American engineering, but still doesn't mean they made crap cars afterward.    

[Charlie Brown]

1 minute ago, David Harris said:

Joe's actually been right more than not. I know because I'm usually pissed off when he's critical but he turns out to be right.

I know.

Joe said that Sanchez could be good but that he needed BETTER BALL security and he needed to be developed, folks laughed, but those were precisely the things that were wrong with Sanchez. 

I remember when he said that the Jets acted liked they won something and they needed to tone down their macho attitude because it could get the QB killed; folks said that Namath should shut up! 

But what Namath said would happen is precisely what did happen. Sanchez was often brutalized  by his porous OL (Hunter) and the "you knock one of ours down two of your go down" was no where to be seen.....  

 

 

[win4ever]

20 minutes ago, nyjunc said:

To be fair, sanchez helped get us closer to a SB than at any point since SB III.

I think that's a chicken or egg conundrum there if Sanchez helped or the defense and running game carried him.  Similar to last year, did the Broncos win because of Peyton Manning or despite him?

Sanchez had a great set up the first two years.  Good WRs, a pass catching TE, very good line, great running game, and a great defense.  I think a lot of options would have us being very competitive in that scenario.  

[munchmemory]

2 minutes ago, win4ever said:

Lol, I respect him as a player, but he's done nothing since to indicate his value as a talent scout.   Around the same time, Pontiac was a bright spot in American engineering, but still doesn't mean they made crap cars afterward.    

Speaking of crap, load up all the POS QBs we've put on the field since Joe left and you have a Winnebago-sized sh!tmobile.  Combined, those clowns can't fill Joe's jockstrap.  What he did all those decades ago has still not been surpassed by any of our players.

[nyjunc]

1 minute ago, win4ever said:

I think that's a chicken or egg conundrum there if Sanchez helped or the defense and running game carried him.  Similar to last year, did the Broncos win because of Peyton Manning or despite him?

Sanchez had a great set up the first two years.  Good WRs, a pass catching TE, very good line, great running game, and a great defense.  I think a lot of options would have us being very competitive in that scenario.  

he did a lot more for us than manning or osweiler did for denver in their run last year and denver was MUCH more talented around the QB.  it's ok to say mark helped, not saying he was the key or anything like that but he did help us.

[nyjunc]

1 minute ago, munchmemory said:

Speaking of crap, load up all the POS QBs we've put on the field since Joe left and you have a Winnebago-sized sh!tmobile.  Combined, those clowns can't fill Joe's jockstrap.  What he did all those decades ago has still not been surpassed by any of our players.

he's the most important player in jets history(for everything he meant off the field to the Jets and to the game of pro football), he's not the best player in Jets history.

[southparkcpa]

9 minutes ago, win4ever said:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-legend-joe-namath-rave-review-rookie-qb-mark-sanchez-article-1.404888

There were others, but this one was the first I could see.  

Im sure, we all thought mark was terrific until game 4, 2009 when he showed his true colors.  ...  I  simply remember him bashing the kid when the mistakes were quite obvious. In Joe's defense, he has shown he is no bubbling idiot as some of the SOJ experts here claim.    

[southparkcpa]

18 minutes ago, David Harris said:

Joe's actually been right more than not. I know because I'm usually pissed off when he's critical but he turns out to be right.

Dont tell the SOJ fans who think the franchise began in 1998.

[TuscanyTile2]

I'm just waiting for the Daily News to put "A Star Is Born" on the cover after Hack's first good game.

 

 

[munchmemory]

1 minute ago, nyjunc said:

he's the most important player in jets history(for everything he meant off the field to the Jets and to the game of pro football), he's not the best player in Jets history.

To me, Joe is an immortal Jet.  As you say, he gave us credibility on and off the field.  I was speaking directly at our QB position, which I think has been a pile of rotting excrement since Joe.  

Gun to my head, I'd say Joe Klecko was the greatest Jet player, with Joe a very close second.  But again, for what he accomplished in that magical 1968 season, Joe is an immortal in the pantheon of greatness.  You can't touch or question that.

[TuscanyTile2]

4 minutes ago, southparkcpa said:

Im sure, we all thought mark was terrific until game 4, 2009 when he showed his true colors.  ...  I  simply remember him bashing the kid when the mistakes were quite obvious. In Joe's defense, he has shown he is no bubbling idiot as some of the SOJ experts here claim.    

Mark wasn't terrific?  He's the starting QB of the Superbowl champs.

[southparkcpa]

3 minutes ago, munchmemory said:

To me, Joe is an immortal Jet.  As you say, he gave us credibility on and off the field.  I was speaking directly at our QB position, which I think has been a pile of rotting excrement since Joe.  

Gun to my head, I'd say Joe Klecko was the greatest Jet player, with Joe a very close second.  But again, for what he accomplished in that magical 1968 season, Joe is an immortal in the pantheon of greatness.  You can't touch or question that.

well, for me Joe is number one, followed by Joe.

[munchmemory]

1 minute ago, southparkcpa said:

well, for me Joe is number one, followed by Joe.

Would it kill me to use "Namath" alternately? lol

[Maxman]

1 hour ago, win4ever said:

Wasn't Namath the one that thought Sanchez would be great?

He was a great player for the Jets, but honestly I couldn't care less about his QB evaluations.   Whenever, I hear him talk, he sounds like he took a few too many hard hits to the head at times.  

Namath wanted the Jets to draft Johnny Manziel.

[win4ever]

15 minutes ago, munchmemory said:

Speaking of crap, load up all the POS QBs we've put on the field since Joe left and you have a Winnebago-sized sh!tmobile.  Combined, those clowns can't fill Joe's jockstrap.  What he did all those decades ago has still not been surpassed by any of our players.

We've had a ton of bad QB play afterwards.  Some more embarrassing than others, but I still don't think Joe is any more qualified to be a talent scout because others have failed after him when he was a player.   As, a player, sure.  As a scout, I'm not buying into it, because he's just playing to the media.  

[win4ever]

19 minutes ago, nyjunc said:

he did a lot more for us than manning or osweiler did for denver in their run last year and denver was MUCH more talented around the QB.  it's ok to say mark helped, not saying he was the key or anything like that but he did help us.

Mark helped for sure, but which units were better?  Defense?  Running game?  Trenches?  

My issue with Mark has been that, a lot of the team success seems to distributed to him, as if he was the one carrying us there, and then fell off a cliff.  I think, he was an ok QB, but the team stopped winning because the pieces around him started to deteriorate.  For franchise QBs, their progression helps cover up some of it, and Mark never did that.   

[Jetdawgg]

Sanchez was not "coached up" by that staff. That FO and CS completely mis handled his potential. 

[TuscanyTile2]

1 minute ago, Jetdawgg said:

Sanchez was not "coached up" by that staff. That FO and CS completely mis handled his potential. 

I agree that he wasn't coached up.  Rex didn't want any part of coaching him.  On top of that, our WRs were crappy (though we did have a very good D, OL and RBs).  But I really don't think Mark was that good.  He's on his 3rd team (unless I missed any).  I guess we'll see how he does in Denver w/ a SB champion team.

[win4ever]

19 minutes ago, southparkcpa said:

Im sure, we all thought mark was terrific until game 4, 2009 when he showed his true colors.  ...  I  simply remember him bashing the kid when the mistakes were quite obvious. In Joe's defense, he has shown he is no bubbling idiot as some of the SOJ experts here claim.    

I think he plays to the media a lot, almost as if he wants to broadcast or announce games.  Almost always, he seems to go with what the prevailing opinion from the media is, as they find him useful as a credible source to confirm their ideas.  He was concerned about Sanchez's games started in college, same as the media.  When Sanchez did well in preseason, media did an about turn and so did Namath.  When Sanchez regressed, so did the media and therefore Namath.  Media loved Manziel, so did Namath.  Media hated Geno for pouting, so did Namath.  I don't really see him go against the grain on these evaluations against the media, I feel like he's just functioning as a quote machine so the media likes him.    

[TuscanyTile2]

14 minutes ago, southparkcpa said:

well, for me Joe is number one, followed by Joe.

Jo-Jo Townsell?

[win4ever]

12 minutes ago, Maxman said:

Namath wanted the Jets to draft Johnny Manziel.

Lol, yeah, I think he was all over Manziel, with the media going on about comparisons with off the field trouble.  Honestly, I think he just says what the media wants him to say to create a buzz.  

[Jetdawgg]

22 minutes ago, TuscanyTile2 said:

I agree that he wasn't coached up.  Rex didn't want any part of coaching him.  On top of that, our WRs were crappy (though we did have a very good D, OL and RBs).  But I really don't think Mark was that good.  He's on his 3rd team (unless I missed any).  I guess we'll see how he does in Denver w/ a SB champion team.

The FO and CS caused a debacle with Sanchez. No real back up QB. No real OC. A QB coach who was fapping for years.. A GM who let his primary WR's get away for some plodders. He had no chance here and it hurt his career. I have faith that this FO and CS is better.