New York Jets young (project) quarterback Bryce Petty believes his development is coming along, thanks to his improved Madden skills.
Is he a franchise quarterback or isn’t he?This has been the question among New York Jets fans for over a year now.
Of course, we’re discussing Baylor product Bryce Petty, who’ll be entering his second season in Florham Park.
There’s no doubt the kid has talent, everybody can see that (as evidenced by that nifty highlight video seen above), but has he developed enough for Mike Maccagnan’s liking?
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According to Daryl Slater of NJ.com, Petty sees a “night and day” difference in his development.
“For me, where I was when they drafted me last year to where I am now, it’s night-and-day difference,” Petty told NJ Advance Media on Monday at Jets linebacker David Harris’ charity golf event, which benefits the Give the Kids Hope Foundation. “For me, it’s a process. Just watching film, I’m seeing things.
Right off the bat, to me, that’s extremely interesting.
There’s more:
“I played Madden the other day, and it’s not just picking run plays anymore. It’s like, ‘Oh, they’ve got an under front [on defense].’ You start picking up things differently. That’s exciting for me.”
Wait a second, Petty didn’t know what an under front was prior to entering the NFL?
“If there’s anybody I can emulate playing, mentally wise, it’s Fitz,” Petty said. “It was so awesome to be with him last year, just to see, cognitively, how he thinks about every play and how he goes in to prepare. The capacity for his mental side of the game to be that extreme, that’s what I try to emulate.”
“For me, it’s about worrying about what I’ve got to do, to make sure that I’m in the best chance to hopefully get on the field this year,” Petty said. “That’s what I want to do. That’s what sucked last year [with not playing]. I know it’s part of it, your redshirt year. Especially right now, it’s my job to go prove. That rests solely on my shoulders. I’m ready to see the development from Year 1 to Year 2, not only in the film room, but actually hit the field and be able to see things.”
I’ll tell you what, if you weren’t worried about Petty’s QB/pro-football knowledge prior to reading this bit of info, you surely are now.
This is why the word “project” never works well in the NFL at this specific position. It takes a special mind to get it done, and solely judging by these comments, Petty’s mind not be too “special.”
On the other hand, and taking a much more optimistic approach, these are just a few quotes. We don’t know how they were said and perhaps Petty was a little tongue-and-cheek with his words.
For the Jets’ fan’s sake, let’s hope so.
