New York Jets: What to expect out of Bryce Petty in 2015

I love the quarterback position in football. Maybe that is why, but I think Bryce Petty was the most intriguing pick for the New York Jets in the 2015 NFL Draft. Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has already gone on record saying that there is no quarterback competition right now and that Geno Smith is expected to enter the season as the starter. I think that statement was made simply to let Smith know he’s got the job.

He won’t have all the turmoil that he had last year with Michael Vick. The job is his to lose. However, there is one big word in that statement from Gailey that is easy to overlook. Smith is expected to enter the season as the starter. That leaves everything open for change and that is exactly what Petty should be hoping for. So my predictions here will be based on Smith getting outed and will be based on how many games Petty will play.

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Petty Plays 4 games: If Petty starts in Week 14 he will go 2-2 as a starter this season. There is always at least a little bit of a learning curve coming in as a first time starter. The last 4 games of the season are as follows: vs Titans, at Cowboys, vs Patriots and at Bills. This would be a tough first four games with the exception of the Titans, but I could see Petty getting at least one win between the final three teams. His stats for the final four games will be 56% completion, 650 total yards, 3 TD, 2 INT

Petty Plays 8 games: So after the first half of the season Smith has the Jets sitting at a 3-5 record and hasn’t lived up to what was expected of him so far this year. Insert Petty to save the season. In the third quarter of the season the Jets schedule is as follows: vs Bills, at Texans, vs Dolphins and at Giants. This portion of the schedule wouldn’t be extremely favorable for a rookie quarterback, but it would definitely get Petty up to NFL speed in a hurry. If he starts after 8 games I’m predicting he goes 5-3 on the remaining 8 games with losses to the Patriots, Texans, and against the Bills. His stats for the final eight games will be 58% completion, 1400 total yards, 7 TD, 4 INT

Petty Plays 12 games: After an 0-4 start when Smith has thrown more interceptions than he has touchdowns, the coaching staff finally decides it’s Petty time. The Jets second quarter of games are as follows: vs Redskins, at Patriots, at Raiders and vs Jaguars. If Petty plays the last 12 games of the season Petty will go 8-4 bringing the Jets back up to an even 8-8 record and a possible wildcard berth. If this scenario happens, Petty will be lucky enough to face some very manageable defenses in three of his first four games as he should be able to perform well against them. That will give him a good start on his career and catapult him to be the favorite to keep the job. If this is the scenario that unfolds, I believe Petty will have the following stats for the final 12 games of the season since he’ll rise to the challenge: 58% completion, 2,500 yards, 20 TD, 11 INT

Petty Plays 16 games: If something terrible happens to Smith (we would never wish this on anyone) and he gets injured in the preseason, Petty gets the start from Week 1. This is throwing Petty right into the heart of the monster known as the NFL. Luckily for him, this “trial by fire” approach has a fairly easy opening. First four games of the season are vs Browns, at Colts, vs Eagles and at Dolphins. Petty will lead the Jets to at 11-5 record and get them back into the playoffs with the 5th overall seed. If this is the scenario that unfolds, I predict Petty will have the following stats for his first career season: 57% completion, 3,200 yards, 25 TD, 15 INT

Next: Sheldon Richardson: Top 5 things to expect in 2015

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