Bryce Petty Speaks to the Press

Jets fourth round pick Bryce Petty spoke to the media this afternoon. Here is what he had to say.

On his reaction to being drafted…

I’m so dang excited. That was the longest 48 hours I’ve ever had in my life, so to get that call, honestly it was unbelievable. I’m so excited. I’m ready to get down there now and meet with the guys, meet with the coaches and I’m so thankful for Coach (Todd) Bowles and the front office, and Mr. (Woody) Johnson, all those guys that gave me the opportunity. I’m excited.

On his takeaway from his visit with the Jets prior to the draft…

Yeah, I thought it went well. I loved all the guys. From what I could see as far as facilities, these guys have the best facilities that I’ve ever been around. So, it just kind of felt like a home away from home really and being able to go visit with Coach Bowles and talk to him about where I could be and now talking to you guys. (Phone cut out)

On what he anticipates his role to be this season…

You know, I have no idea. That’s something for coach to decide. What I’m supposed to do is control what I can control and that’s my attitude each and every day that I get out there and I’m going to work to be the best and that’s something that I always wanted to do and always strive to do so whether that be starter or backup whatever it is, you know again, that’s up to coaches and my job is to have a great attitude about it, be a great teammate, and learn all that I can from guys who have been there and done that. This will be my first time to be up there, so being in the NFL, it’s a learning curve, it’s a learning process and you have to learn from people. So that’s what I plan to do and again try to be the best I can be.

On what he thinks about the criticism that he won’t make a successful transition into the NFL…

It’s all about the person. My desire is to be the best regardless of what system I’m in. What I was asked to do at college, it’s different but it’s not because I couldn’t do a pro-style offense or a west coast offense, it’s just what I was told to do so I did it and I did it to the best of my ability. Being in another offense, being in another system is part of the game and I want to master that system just like I mastered what we did at college. Simplistic or not, you have to step out there and do it. My job, again, is to be the best that I can be and that starts with learning the playbook. That’s definitely not in the (inaudible) like you said, but it’s one that I’m excited for and definitely ready for.

On whether the last 48 hours shook his confidence at all…

No, not at all. I mean, that’s part of it. You have people that question you and that was their decision, so my job now is to prove to the other 31 teams what they’re missing out on. I’m so excited to be a Jet right now and get to further my playing career in New York and that’s all I’m worried about now. I’m still very confident in my abilities. I think you have to, as any competitor, especially at quarterback and especially at quarterback in the NFL. You’re graded on two things and that is wins and losses. You have to make sure that above all, that you’re capable, that you’re confident. My confidence is never shaken. This is exactly where God wanted me to be so I’m excited about the process. Like I said, it was long, but I never lost any confidence in my own abilities. I’m definitely excited to have gotten a call from the Jets. That was definitely a staff that stood out to me and is one that I can definitely see myself with so to see it come through was great.

On whether he knew Chan Gailey runs a spread offense and whether he was excited to learn that…

When I came up on my visit, we did a mini install and it was actually a lot of the same dynamics or schemes that we had at Baylor that he was showing me on tape. As far as being able to relate and being familiar with things, it was great, because it was a lot of the same things that we did. I’m definitely excited about getting into the film room with him and start understanding where, what, and how and the way things work. It’s definitely an offense that your guys can have fun with and that’s an important thing especially in this league. You have to have fun with what you’re doing and I think it will give us the opportunity to put the ball in the hands of the Brandon Marshalls and Eric Deckers and Devin Smith, the guy we just picked up, and Jeremy Kerley and those guys.