No longer donning the redshirt, Jets quarterback Christian Hackenberg attacked his second offseason program.
"I just wanted to come in and take advantage of my reps, learn as much as I could in the meeting room," Hackenberg said. "Take full advantage of that and the knowledge that we're getting from John Morton with a new offense and [QBs] coach Jeremy Bates, then just continue to build on that. Again, I thought as a whole, as a unit and as a team, it was really good for us this camp just getting reps, competing and being able to see and put stuff on tape of what we're installing that day and moving forward and building on that."
The 2016 second-round pick served as the scout team QB last season and was inactive for all but one game. This year, the Penn State product is competing for the starting spot under center.
The first task at hand for the 22-year-old, and the rest of the gunslingers, was to tackle the new playbook before minicamp broke. Most of Morton's West Coast system has been installed in the four weeks of OTAs and minicamp, the first time in the offseason coaches are allowed to interact with their players.
"It's our job to do whatever we're asked to do," Hackenberg said of the offense. "There's definitely going to be an adjustment period if you've never done it before. I've had some experience with wordier offenses in college, but it's definitely a little bit of an adjustment. I think if you ask any of the other guys that are doing it, it's something that you have to work at. So I think that was something we definitely hit home with and hammered home as a quarterback group, just being able to spit the plays out and understand. I think we can continue to build on that. I thought it went well."
Like all the quarterbacks, the 6'4", 228-pounder endured his ups and downs throughout minicamp.
"Hack got to play and learned a lot more," head coach Todd Bowles said. "From a confidence standpoint, it's picked up quite a bit. He's got some timing down as well and he's got a good feel for the offense, so I expect when he comes back for training camp, he'll just let loose and throw the ball without thinking."
Hackenberg added, "I thought it was a good minicamp overall. I thought we got a lot of great work in as a team. I think everyone is kind of excited for this break. I think it's going to be good moving into training camp. Everyone will be refreshed and ready to rock."
The next five weeks, he said, will be a mix of work and rest. He'll spend some time with his family at home in Virginia while continuing to stay in shape and dive into the playbook. Oh yeah, he's also going on a hunting trip with his bow and arrow in Nova Scotia.
