Ball Placement
Notice that I didn’t say anything about completion percentage. Frankly, it doesn’t matter how many of the passes are caught. Most quarterbacks can complete passes when they are essentially playing catch with the wide receiver. They call that practice and there are a lot of quarterbacks completing those passes. It doesn’t make you special. Pay no attention to that element.
Watch where the ball is placed instead. If the receiver is running an out route, is the ball in front of him toward the sidelines? If it isn’t, he may catch it here but it is more likely to be broken up during a game. If the receiver runs a deep route, is the quarterback dropping it over the shoulder in stride or does the receiver have to slow down? That may have worked in college but it won’t work in the NFL. They must be hit in stride. Does he hit the receiver on the correct stride on a slant route? These are all critical factors.
The name of the game in the NFL is completion percentage. You must have a quarterback completing a minimum of 60% of his passes to have any form of a chance. If that quarterback places the ball correctly, their chances of hitting those numbers goes way up. The Jets need a quarterback that naturally places the ball in stride for the receiver and where it belongs. The struggles will continue if they can’t find one.