There may be a reason that New York Jets coach Todd Bowles has avoided naming a starting quarterback that isn’t simply related to their upcoming bye week.
According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, there is some concern within the Jets organization that naming Bryce Petty quarterback now would cause some of the team’s veteran players to check out mentally.
Petty is viewed as well behind Ryan Fitzpatrick in terms of readiness and capability to quarterback an offense in spite of Fitzpatrick’s season-long struggles. The fear is that Bowles would lose credibility among some veterans by putting Petty at the helm of the 3-7 team.
The added concern is that Petty doesn’t have the support of the team’s veterans. Some within the organization reportedly worry that certain players will simply mail in the remainder of the season if he is made quarterback, viewing it as an admission that the team is essentially giving up on the 2016 season.
Petty started Sunday’s loss against the Rams and didn’t make much of an impression. Bowles has ducked the question of who will start for the Jets going forward in light of that. If there’s any truth to this report, though, it sounds like some members of the team have a pretty big mentality problem.
