His first opportunity to prove he is a viable backup to Mark Sanchez came on Monday night, and Greg McElroy did not waste any time. Racking up 208 yards and a touchdown, the rookie quarterback looked comfortable in his debut and was very effective.
Connecting on 23 of 39 attempts for an impressive completion percentage of 58.9 percent, McElroy was efficient after taking over for Sanchez in the second quarter. Mark Brunell has been the second string quarterback on the Jets since last season, but that has been strictly for mentoring purposes and they drafted McElroy in hopes of having their backup of the future.
The former Alabama standout amassed 20 touchdowns and 2,987 yards in his senior season, good enough to make him a 7th round draft selection. Mark Sanchez said of the young quarterback, “He’s so sharp. He’s got a ton of experience in college. He played in a lot of games — a national championship (2009). That’s great to add to our quarterback room. He’s picking things up quickly in the classroom. It’ll be good competition for all of us.”
Also impressing in his debut with the team was rookie wide receiver Jeremy Kerley. The TCU alumni was a 5th round draft pick and has been turning heads at training camp, enough so that he had already been marked down as the fourth receiver on the official depth chart before playing a minute of football.
Kerley did not put up huge numbers, pulling in only three receptions for twenty yards, but he had a good showing as a kick returner. Stepping in for all-purpose player Brad Smith, who left the Jets this offseason to go to the Buffalo Bills, Kerley has a lot of pressure on him. Smith was a fan favorite and an explosive playmaker as a returner.
This is exactly what preseason games are there for, to let teams try out new players and get a feel for who will be ready come the first week. McElroy and Kerley both stepped up in their first NFL snaps, and there is no doubt that the coaching staff took notice. Don’t be surprised to see McElroy move up to number two on the depth chart if he puts up another good performance.
The New York Jets play their next preseason game, a home opener, on Sunday, August 21st at 7:00 PM against the Cincinnati Bengals.
