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Jets Breece Hall's Accelerated Mindset Drives Constant Desire to Win

OC Frank Reich: ‘This Guy Understands Football at Such a High Level’

Breece Hall 1

Breece Hall is already rushing up the Jets' franchise record books: With 102 yards, including a 4-yard rushing TD against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1, Hall now ranks 10th on the franchise rushing list with 3,500 yards, passing Adrian Murrell, who had 3,447 between 1993-97.

"It's bittersweet because I know, not that my previous years weren't as fulfilling, but I feel like, and I always say this, I feel like I'm one of the better backs in this league but I haven't always been able to show it," Hall said. "This year I feel like I'm in a really good situation where I'm really going to be able to be my full self."

But if Hall isn't excessively celebrating a Jets win, don't worry. The running back was expecting that outcome.

"It wasn't like an 'Oh yay let's be happy.' We were supposed to do this," Hall said. "Let's not be surprised. It shouldn't be a surprise, you should be getting used to us, you know."

He doesn't let the excitement linger – the urge to win again crawls right back.

"It's like alright we have to move on," Hall said. "I want to go 1-0 again this week."

Hall practices an accelerated vision that's rooted in the anticipation of not only what a defense might do next, but the road ahead for the Jets. He's just 25, but Hall's already in his fifth season, and he won't hesitate to tell you about how he's experienced the highs and lows of a season, or how because of it, he's now mentally stronger.

"Now it's just about keeping steady," Hall said.

If a smile appears on Hall's face, he's probably talking about competing with Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis each day in practice. Together, on their push for consistent development and improvement, they've found a balance where they can joke but also be critical of one another.

"Every day we go out and we have a fun, healthy competition," Hall said. "Who's going to be the best today, who's going to be the best in our individual stuff, you know, footwork drills, pass work drills, who's going to be the best catching the ball, who's going to be the best once we get into the team reps?"

Offensive coordinator Frank Reich is excited about the "one-two punch" he has with Hall and Allen. Reich is creative in the schemes he puts on the field, and he might "try to find ways to get them both on the field occasionally together."

The Jets continue to build towards home opener vs. the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium Sunday.

During the Jets' 19-play marathon of a drive against the Titans, Hall and Allen rotated in the game and collectively wore out the defense.

"Eventually they're not going to want to tackle either of us anymore," Hall said. "It got to the point where me and Braelon were making the first, second, third guy miss."

Reich's playcalling, Hall said, made his job easy. It was the 10th 100-yard rushing game of Hall's career, tying John Riggins for the fifth-most 100-yard rushing games by a Jet in franchise history.

"Breece is an incredible football player," Reich said. "This guy understands football at such a high level, it's hard to explain. I literally feel like he can play any position on the field."

When No. 20 is in the backfield, there's an excitement that buzzes through the offensive line. Hall can be a bull-rusher up the middle or be a threat bouncing to the outside – he's versatile.

"He's incredibly fun to block for," C Josh Myers said. "You guys get to see how electric he is, but to feel him running past you and making people miss left and right and just how hard he runs, it's so much fun."

Even if an individual win doesn't keep Hall excited for long, the opportunity to prove he can be one of the best running backs in the NFL does.

"I'm expecting a lot more these games, I'm expecting to be the guy that Frank's leaning on to really make plays, obviously we have a lot of playmakers on the team," Hall said. "But at the end of the day the offense goes through me so I'm kind of excited to see how I can really reach my full potential."

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