Coffee with the Jets: Jeremy Kerley eligible to return in Week 15

In this edition of Coffee with the New York Jets, Jeremy Kerley is eligible to return this week, reasons to actually start Christian Hackenberg at some point, and a possible quarterback curse.

Besides today being another terrific Tuesday, FanSided’s Fandom 250 has officially dropped. I’ve been looking forward to this list for a while now as it’s a fantastic read. It lists the top fandoms in sports, video games, movies, and everything else in between. For the NFL, the top fandom went to the Pittsburgh Steelers and while I understand, it’s just a shame the New York Jets didn’t make the list. I get why the Steelers have the best fans in the world considering all their past success and what they’re doing so far this season but the Jets have overachieved beyond words. Awe well, maybe next year?

In case you didn’t know, my Coffee with the Jets pieces articles features some of the top articles on Gang Green from the internet. As always, these are all great reading material to enjoy alongside a hot cup of coffee!

Jeremy Kerley eligible for return … but not so fast by Rich Cimini (ESPN)

With the Jets (5-8) on the verge of postseason elimination, the front office may want to use the last three games to look at young players such as Hansen and fellow rookie wideout ArDarius Stewart. With his job possibly on the line, Bowles needs to win games, so you could understand if he’s lobbying for Kerley.

Honestly, since Kerley was hit with a four-game suspension due to PEDs, it wouldn’t make sense to simply hand him his starting job back. He made a mistake whether he wants to admit to it or not as the Jets would be wise to give those reps to other younger players on the roster. After all, isn’t that what rebuilding is all about? It’s doubtful Kerley will even be back with the Jets next season, so over these last few games, he should be used as depth on the roster to give others more opportunities to grow.

Jets should play Christian Hackenberg rest of season by Connor Rogers (Fan Rag Sports)

This is far from guaranteeing Hackenberg will show anything, but why not use this as an evaluation period? If he completely flops, like many unfortunately would expect, the team can move one in the offseason to give itself a clean slate on the quarterback depth chart. Outside of Josh McCown being brought back as a bridge starter or No. 2 option, the Jets don’t have a staple of signal callers that inspires confidence in the future.

I completely agree with Rogers and what the Jets should do to give some playing time to Hackenberg. The Jets are probably going to lose another game or two and once they’re mathematically eliminated from the NFL Playoffs, should consider giving Hackenberg at least a game to start or at the very least, a half. Anything at all would help his growth, even if it’s against a top team like the Los Angeles Chargers or New England Patriots. At some point, the Jets need to know if he’s developing the right way or is worth cutting loose if he doesn’t have what it takes to be a potential franchise quarterback in the future.

Josh McCown the latest to experience the Jets’ QB curse by Rich Cimini (ESPN)

Suddenly, he was Testaverde in 1999 and Pennington in 2005, unlucky and unable to disguise his emotions. The Jets weren’t going to make the playoffs with McCown, but they would’ve benefited from his leadership and the rare stability at the position.

It’s crazy to believe that what early season predictions said, McCown would, unfortunately, get hurt to make way for one of the younger quarterbacks on the roster to step in and see what they’ve learned over the past few months. It happened later than many expected due to the horrendous offensive line but McCown will join a list of quarterbacks that would let injuries define their tenures with the Jets. Petty will get an opportunity to prove his worth and if he doesn’t or gets injured yet again, it could be the writing on the wall. It’s such a shame really since a lot of quarterbacks the Jets have had to be “the guy” ended up not working at all. Many believe the Jets have been cursed ever since Joe Namath guaranteed a Super Bowl victory but at the end of the day, it all comes back to the offensive line. Fix that and everything else will fall into place. While many Jets fans are screaming to draft a top quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft, who is going to protect him? Clearly, rebuilding the offensive line is and should be the top priority heading into the offseason.