New York Jets Source Has Strong Words About Christian Hackenberg

New York Jets quarterback Christian Hackenberg continues to get crushed by anonymous teammates and team sources.

No team makes backup quarterbacks as relevant quite like the New York Jets. Just a few seasons ago there was the Tim Tebow saga. Last season people called fo Ryan Fitzpatrick and got their wish when Geno Smith had his jaw broken by IK Enemkpali. This season Fitzpatrick was handed the starting job again yet all anyone wanted to talk about was the backup quarterback.

With the Jets struggling under Fitzpatrick’s watch, people wanted change. They got their wish when Smith took over the starting job, but he lasted less than a half before injuring his leg and probably ending his Jets tenure. Fitzpatrick was handed the starting job again but things didn’t get much better wins and losses wise.

It was then Bryce Petty‘s chance to start. He was given the reins for the final four games of the season but only made it through three of those games. He was banged up multiple times but had his season ended when he tore his labrum against the New England Patriots in Week 16.

People thought this may be the time that we finally see 2016 second round pick Christian Hackenberg take the field. Instead, it was Fitzpatrick under center for the season finale, leading the team to a 30-3 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

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With nothing to lose or gain, seeing what the rookie from Penn State had would have made some sense. But the decision makers for the Jets just had no confidence in Hackenberg on the field. But, earlier in December there was a report that Hackenberg was not close to being ready.

That report must have been spot on as Hackenberg was never even the backup when Petty was the starter; that position was still held by Fitzpatrick.

The front office and coaching staff aren’t the only people who thought that Hackenberg wasn’t ready to play; some of his teammates didn’t even believe he was worthy of being selected by the Jets where they took him.

According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, a Jets starter was asked whether or not Hackenberg was worthy of being a second-round pick. The player, according to Mehta, rolled his eyes and shook his head and said, “No.”

That wasn’t as harsh as another Jets source that Mehta talked to, who said, “He [Hackenberg] will never make it. Never”

Well then. Those are some harsh words for a player that has yet to take the field for meaningful snaps. But the reality of the situation is that there has been an overwhelmingly negative reaction to Hackenberg with the Jets.

There has been virtually nothing positive about Hackenberg said by Jets sources, who piled on last week when an ESPN report cited a Jets source saying that Hackenberg couldn’t throw the ball into the ocean.

Owner Woody Johnson decided to take a light-hearted approach to that, jokingly saying, “I guess it depends which ocean. Maybe it was a small ocean. The EPA describes that as an ocean. … Anyway, no, that’s not funny.”

While Johnson can crack jokes about the situation, one person not laughing is Mike Maccagnan. While there have been some highlights for Maccagnan in his Jets tenure, one thing has still eluded him; finding a franchise quarterback.

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That is something that he will have to do sooner than later, or else he may not be around much longer. A second round pick busting isn’t going to get Maccagnan fired, but that is a pick that could have been used on a player to help immediately. There is a chance that if Hackenberg does figure things out that Maccagnan isn’t even part of the organization anymore once it does.

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