Bryce Petty, Preseason Week 1, and the Detroit Lions

Rookie QBs in preseason aren’t going to be pretty. I’m not going to pretend this is going to be an article of pretty throws. It’s going to be a messy article full of conservative throwing and overanalyzing tiny errors to point out where Bryce Petty needs to improve in the future. Most of the issues we’ll see here will likely not be there when he sees the field again next year in preseason but it’s fun to see just how much he needs in order to turn into an NFL capable player.

Unfortunately, All-22 view is not available for preseason games- which means there will be some guesswork involved in these especially with defensive alignments, so any defensive alignment i mention is not an absolute certainty, just a guess based on what’s visible. It doesn’t help that Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin uses some crazy coverages that involve mixing man and zone based on reads and offensive formations.

Target Distribution by Distance

Bryce Petty didn’t complete a single pass over 10 yards. One was overthrown, another had a LB knock it down by reading his eyes, and the other had Petty make the wrong read on a Post/Corner option. The Jets very obviously tried to keep the gameplan easy for Petty to get him comfortable but it’s likely that also had to do with what they’ve seen from Petty in practice. We’ll be seeing some of those issues too.

1st and 10 at NYJ 20 (5:30) B.Petty pass short left to T.Bohanon to NYJ 21 for 1 yard (J.Wilson; J.Bynes).

2×0 I formation set that turns into a 1×1 set. Lions are showing are cover-2 zone on the pre-snap.

Bryce pulls off an okay playaction, arm extended out and almost gets it into the RBs stomach. To compare, Geno Smith’s are far worse. After that point, he might be taking far too many steps before turning. It looks like the Jets wide receivers are all going deep minus Tommy Bohanon who’s out in the flat for a checkdown. From what we can see, every Lions defender has dropped deep, Petty recognizes this and takes the easy throw into the flat. Balls too high though, and it makes Bohanon have to jump and expose his body to make this catch. To compare, this was Geno Smith too in his rookie year.

3rd and 8 at NYJ 22 (4:04) (Shotgun) B.Petty pass incomplete short middle to J.Kerley.

Jets start in a 2×2 shotgun set and move Powell to the outside turning it into a 2×3 shotgun empty set. So far, the Jets are trying to help Petty by putting players in motion to make the defense easier to read. The Lions pre-snap show another cover-2 zone shell.

Bryce Petty will take three steps back that are all pretty rushed, and out of time with his receivers. Not sure where Petty is aiming here at all, there’s no player in that vicinity. There’s a chance he’s expecting the middle slot receiver on the right side to break inside on the post, which is why he throws this there but that would be the wrong read here, as we see the Safety is sitting right on the hash once the ball is in the frame. It should be noted that there’s pressure coming right up the interior as Petty’s getting ready to throw and he doesn’t seem to be afraid of standing in the pocket. It’s worth wondering whether or not it affected his read though.

2nd and 8 at NYJ 27 (13:38) (Shotgun) B.Petty pass incomplete short left to Q.Enunwa.

Jets are in a 2×1 shotgun set. Lions show cover-2 zone shell again.

Again, Petty’s footwork doesn’t seem to be timed to anything. I’m not going to focus much on that aspect for the entirety of this post, but it’s something to be aware of because it shows you the thought processes he’s going through as well as his composure. Petty takes a weird side stance as he enters his throwing motion (shown below) and still gets the ball to what seems to be the right spot, but without seeing this in a wider view- it’s possible that Quincy Enunwa is actually adjusting to this throw which could be the reason he comes crashing back down towards the line of scrimmage the way he does.

3rd and 8 at NYJ 27 (13:32) B.Petty sacked at NYJ 17 for -10 yards (sack split by C.Reid and D.Taylor).

Jets are in a 3×1 Shotgun set. Lions are showing a cover-2 zone shell with the CB at the top playing man in a hybrid coverage.

Bryce Petty’s able to drop back while keeping his eyes down the center of the field, only changing his gaze once he’s about to hit his back foot. His timing here looks a lot better, but it’s hard to tell exactly without seeing the routes down the field, especially since it looks like Petty’s searching for the outside WR. There’s nothing here that Petty does wrong, two rushers getting into the pocket from the interior is a lot to ask a quarterback to beat.

2nd and 10 at NYJ 44 (9:24) B.Petty pass short left to S.Evans to DET 48 for 8 yards (C.Butler).

Jets are in a 2×1 I formation set. Lions are showing a cover-2 zone shell with the CB at the bottom now showing man coverage. The Lions have the CB on the solo side showing man while the slot CB is lined up suspiciously far inside. Lions blitz that slot CB and an ILB, while dropping one of the DEs into coverage, likely changing everyone into man coverage.

I’m assuming the Jets have an implied play action here and don’t actually want Petty to commit to the full play-action because of the speed of this play. Petty’s quick to turn, see Shaq Evans running open on the slant and throw him the ball, but the ball is throwing far enough behind Evans that he has to stop and reach slightly behind him to make the catch. Petty is again at a weird side-stance, you can see that his body is parallel to the sideline at the moment he’s throwing. This time, he’s not able to be as accurate.

3rd and 4 at DET 38 (6:47) (Shotgun) B.Petty pass incomplete short left to K.Davis (J.Ihedigbo).

Jets in a 2×2 shotgun set. The Lions are in a cover-1 shell showing man coverage.

This time Petty’s doing everything right. The play call is simple, on the left side the slot receivers going to take a small vertical three step release to keep his man at the LOS so that Kellen Davis can run the slant right under him, as long as Petty sees man coverage on the pre-snap this route is almost certainly the go-to. Petty makes the read, doesn’t put himself at a weird angle before making the throw and gets the ball right at Davis, although just a slight bit high it’d be overly analytical to say that’s an issue here. Kellen Davis just flat out drops what should be an easy catch.

On the next page, we’ll look at the second half.

1st and 10 at NYJ 20 (14:06) B.Petty pass short left to D.Posey to NYJ 22 for 2 yards (N.Lawson).

Jets are in a 1×1 I formation set. Lions are showing a Cover-2 zone at first, but the safety comes up to the line to blitz, giving a zone-blitz read (Cover-3 with some kind of combination of intermediate coverages).

Nothing really happens here. Petty makes the right read on the pre-snap seeing the obvious blitz and releases to Devier Posey’s screen. There’s nothing either of them can do to get more out of this.

2nd and 8 at NYJ 22 (13:28) (Shotgun) B.Petty pass short middle to J.Howsare to NYJ 28 for 6 yards (T.Lewis).

Jets are n a 2×3 empty shotgun set with the Lions showing what might be a Cover-3 zone on the presnap.

This is a play that begs for the all-22. Unfortunately, that’s not available for preseason games. Petty takes a 3 step drop that might a little too slow for this play but again, it’s hard to tell. He’s forced to step up in the pocket as the RT starts to lose control of his man, loads up his arm, and then puts it back down. I actually really like seeing that, it shows some thought. Then he throws it down to his checkdown in the middle of the field, but it looks like it’s thrown behind him which makes him have to do a spinning-jumping catch. Petty bringing the ball back down might have hurt his accuracy.

1st and 10 at NYJ 20 (7:04) B.Petty pass short left to D.Posey ran ob at NYJ 26 for 6 yards.

Jets are in a 1×2 I formation set. Lions are showing cover-2 originally but the safety comes down again turning it into a potential cover-3. It looks like this actually turns into man coverage though.

I don’t know if it’s intended for Petty to drop back as normal and then fake a playaction but that’s what happens here. Petty’s feet look very uncoordinated as he reaches the apex of his drop, and he’s forced to step up due to pressure from both tackles. The LT seems to bump his man and bring his head down for just a moment taking his eyes off the defender, who’s then able to get around him freely since the LT is no longer mirroring him. Meanwhile, the RT just loses control again. Petty makes a very good throw here, hitting DeVier Posey right on the sideline underneath his man, despite being off-platform.

2nd and 4 at NYJ 26 (6:33) B.Petty pass incomplete short right to J.Kerley [K.Van Noy].

Jets are in a 1×2 set and send Jeremy Kerley in motion to line up on the wing. Lions are showing that Cover-2 zone/man hybrid with corner right up on his man at the bottom and the corner at the top sitting way back in zone. After the snap, both of them go into man.

This is a simple bootleg playaction, Petty’s going to rollout to the right side where Jeremy Kerley comes back underneath the offensive line running into the flat while the tight end lined up on the left side runs a dig route behind him, and the outside WR runs a deep vertical mostly just to clear space. If he wasn’t pressured, he would just have to decide which of the two horizontal routes were more open. The former nickel CB enters a blitzing position after Kerley leaves his coverage and will get in Petty’s face right as he’s about to throw. Petty’s able to get the throw off before he’s hit and it really should have been completed. A man in your face is not exactly an excuse to spike the ball when throwing to an open receiver in the flat. That’s Petty showing a bit of rookie panic.

3rd and 4 at NYJ 26 (6:29) (Shotgun) B.Petty pass incomplete deep left to D.Posey [Q.Diggs].

Jets are in a 2×3 empty shotgun set. Lions respond with a cover-2 zone look presnap with the outside corner at the bottom showing potential man and 6 rushers. This will end up being a zone blitz.

It looks like Bryce Petty has this play figured out in his head based on what we can see. He takes a one step dropback already looking directly at his target, not a great thing to see- but after making the throw we can see that Petty has an open man exactly in the spot he’s throwing to, although he’s unable to fit the ball in. The shortened 1-step drop doesn’t sync up with the target he’s aiming for but after Petty does finish his one step drop you can see him drifting south away from the corner blitz to give himself just a bit more time. This play looks like Petty getting overexcited and maybe feeling a bit rushed to throw. He likely should have taken the checkdown that’s built into this play on the right outside receiver.

2nd and 9 at NYJ 5 (1:15) B.Petty pass short left to W.Powell to NYJ 13 for 8 yards (N.Lawson).

Jets are in a 3×1 I formation set. Lions start in cover-2 zone with the safety moving up in position to blitz off the edge, giving this a cover-3 look. It’ll end up being neither, and turning into man with the Lions sending all 5 potential rushers at the offense.

For the first time, Bryce Petty is being asked to drop back under center. Eyes are downfield as he’s dropping for a moment as he checks the blitz and then immediately turns to the outside looking for Powell, assuming at this point he’s figured out that he’s seeing man. As soon as he’s got his feet set after his 5 steps, the throw is out and it looks like it’s on time. You have to do some imagining here, but it looks like Powell is just coming out of his break as he re-enters the frame meaning Petty would have been throwing just as he entered the break. If so, it’s a really good thing to see young QBs throw with anticipation, especially when they can get their feet synced up to the play as well.

3rd and 1 at NYJ 13 (:32) (Shotgun) B.Petty pass short right to W.Powell to NYJ 18 for 5 yards (I.Johnson).

Jets are in a 1×3 shotgun set with a wide bunch. Lions show another cover-2 zone with the bottom CB showing man and 5 potential rushers. They rush 6.

Nothing to see regarding the read, Petty takes the snap, immediately turns and throws it right to Walt Powell on the screen. The ball is placed in a good spot, throw is quick, nothing wrong here.

1st and 10 at NYJ 18 (15:00) B.Petty pass short right to W.Saxton to NYJ 22 for 4 yards (T.Mays).

Jets are in a 2×1 i formation set. Lions start off showing a cover-2 man, but the nickel takes a pass rushing position, moving the safety over the slot receiver and making this a cover-1 man.

Bryce Petty’s on another play-action rollout with a levels read on the TE and slot receiver. The play-action itself is kind of weak, not a full extension, pulls the ball out way too early. Once he’s on the move, he has Wes Saxton open in the flat to checkdown and the throw is horribly under-thrown. It’s now the second time on one of these on the move throws that he’s way under-throwing the target. Wes Saxton makes a great, smooth adjustment and even gets back up afterwards to pick up three more yards than this play should have gotten. That’s a man who wants a roster spot.

1st and 10 at NYJ 30 (12:59) B.Petty pass short right to A.Hill pushed ob at NYJ 36 for 6 yards (I.Johnson).

Jets are in a 1×1 I formation set. Lions are showing another cover-2 zone but the motion of the TE alerts that this might actually be man coverage. The post-snap makes it look like it’s man.

Playaction rollout again. Second time in a row that Petty doesn’t extend his arm fully and pulls back too early. He keeps his head down as he’s pretending to give it away though, which helps make it seem a little more like he’s taking himself out of the play. It’s another levels read, with Austin Hill entering the flat from the wing TE position and the actual TE running a dig. There’s also a slant from the far outside WR just in case.

Petty’s got the right read at first, looking down at Austin Hill but he pulls the ball back down when he sees the safety crashing down to take Hill out of the game. Second time we’ve seen him pull the ball down, but it’s the first time we can see why. It’s the right decision, especially when he’s not under any pressure to get the ball out. He looks over to the left side of the field and starts rolling back towards there, although there probably aren’t any routes over there. From the way he quickly turns back to the right side, this looks like a conscious decision he made to try and pull coverage off of the play-side. When he actually does throw the ball to Hill, it’s thrown to his inside shoulder instead of the outside which is giving the DB an opportunity to make a play on it, but luckily for Petty it still gets there. Overall, it’s an impressive display of quick thinking.

2nd and 4 at NYJ 36 (12:30) (Shotgun) B.Petty pass incomplete short middle to W.Saxton.

Jets are in a 3×1 shotgun set. Lions are showing cover-1 man in the pre-snap as the safety comes down to line up over the inside slot receiver. 5 potential rushers sit on the line of scrimmage. All 5 will come.

With a cover-1 blitz as the pre-snap read and the safety so far off inside receiver Wes Saxton running a slant this is another good pre-snap read by Petty. You can see him keeping his eyes forward as he receives the snap to make sure that the LB actually does blitz before he turns his attention to Saxton’s slant. Petty also enters his throwing motion before Saxton turns his head, so he’s trying to throw with anticipation here. However, the throw is just way, way too high. That’s likely a mechanical issue, you can see neither of Petty’s feet are again entering that side-ways stance and that his front foot isn’t even pointing at the target.

3rd and 4 at NYJ 36 (12:27) (Shotgun) B.Petty pass incomplete short right to A.Hill (Q.Diggs).

Jets are in a 3×2 empty shotgun set. Lions are showing a cover-1 man look.

I can’t tell if this is the right throw or not, but there is a small window for Petty to get this into. For the decision he made, he put the ball almost exactly where it should be, just ahead of the receiver but not far enough that the LB can make a play on it. Austin Hill can’t hold on through all the contact around him but that’s not Petty’s issue. From what can be seen, the only other potential throw would have been the slant behind Hill, which honestly looks like it would have been the better decision.

2nd and 8 at NYJ 22 (7:50) (Shotgun) B.Petty pass short left to D.Richardson to NYJ 26 for 4 yards (C.Owens).

Jets are in a 2×3 empty shotgun set. Lions are showing a cover-2 zone on the presnap but it looks like it turns into a zone blitz.

Petty’s going to take a quick two step drop, which seems like a mistake, it should either be one or three. However, he still manages to throw this ball nearly on time, entering his throwing motion just as Daryl Richardson comes out of his break. Ball is placed well too, not forcing Richardson to make any kind of extension that would open him to being hit. So far, Petty’s done a good job with saving his teammates from hard hits. One thing to note is that Petty keeps his eyes down the middle of the field all the way until the moment he enters his throwing motion, which helps keep the zone CB above Richardson from coming down earlier. Again though, it might’ve been better to take the built-in checkdown here on the right outside receiver.

3rd and 4 at NYJ 26 (7:19) (No Huddle, Shotgun) B.Petty pass incomplete short middle to A.Hill (K.Van Noy).

Jets start in a 2×3 but change to a 1×3 shotgun set. Lions are disguising their coverage with one outside CB showing zone and the other man. It’s going to be man.

After moving Daryl Richardson into the backfield, the LB takes his position right over him giving a hint that he’s manned up with Richardson. Petty takes a one step dropback that doesn’t seem to be timed up to anything. It feels like Petty hops at the end of his dropback instead of taking the extra steps he’s supposed to. He’s quick to start staring at his intended receiver, and that might be why Kyle Van Noy has no problem sitting in his throwing lane the entire time and deflecting this ball.

Next up, Week 2. Hopefully the New York Jets loosen the chain off Bryce Petty a little bit so we can see how he does when he’s actually asked to move through a read or look down the field.