Jets QB Tim Boyle ready to face Miami Dolphins, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett believes
Jets quarterback Tim Boyle is sacked by Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd during the second half of an NFL game in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Sunday. Credit: AP/Adrian Kraus
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — It will be the Tim Boyle show on Friday, and the person who will be calling the plays in his helmet believes Boyle is ready for the big stage.
“He has an unbelievable knowledge of the system,” Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said Wednesday. “He has a tenacity when it comes to his preparation. He’s nonstop from everything from every single drawing to every single thing on that game sheet. He prepares truly like a starter and has from Day 1.
“His command of the system and understanding is something we really love.”
Boyle is in his third season in Hackett’s system — two years in Green Bay and now with the Jets. That familiarity is a main reason that Jets (4-6) turned to Boyle to try save their season after Zach Wilson led only nine touchdown drives in 10 games.
The 29-year-old Boyle will start against the Dolphins in the first-ever Black Friday game. Boyle is winless as a starting quarterback in the NFL. He went 0-3 with the Lions during the 2021 season. Boyle has only thrown three touchdown passes in 18 games.
He said after that season he “really dove into football.” Boyle studied protections and route concepts. He feels more prepared and comfortable now. Boyle has been lauded for his confidence in himself and his grasp of the offense.
“He’s really precise,” receiver Garrett Wilson said. “Pre-snap, it’s very cerebral. He likes having answers to everything. You’ll see us do a lot of stuff at the line because that’s where he feels comfortable making sure we’re seeing a look pre-snap, but if we don’t get that look, we have an adjustment pre-play. He’s really precise. He’s really on his details.”
Boyle’s ability to make quick decisions also enables him to get the ball out of his hands fast. It's important because of the state of the Jets’ offensive line. With Mekhi Becton slowed by an ankle injury, it looks like the Jets will start their eighth different offensive line combination and seventh in seven games.
“I feel like I have always wanted to get the ball out quick,” Boyle said. “Putting myself in the shoes of an offensive lineman, I don’t think there is anything worse than a quarterback hanging onto the ball.”
Boyle was sacked once on Sunday after replacing Wilson late in the third quarter of the Jets’ 32-6 loss to the Bills. Boyle was 7-for-14 for 33 yards and one interception.
Hackett and Boyle have known each other for more than 10 years. When Hackett was an offensive coordinator at Syracuse, he recruited Boyle, who ended up staying home and going to UConn. They worked together in 2019 and 2020 when Boyle was Aaron Rodgers’ backup.
There is one major difference Hackett sees in Boyle since then.
“I think his confidence has definitely grown,” Hackett said. “Just being so comfortable within the system and understanding the terms are a lot the same. When we came together to build this thing for Aaron from the jump, Tim was a good conduit for everybody, the players and all those guys. I think for him to have this now for a third year, you’re always looking for a quarterback to have experience long-term in one system because everything just is more fluid.”
Wilson struggled running the offense. He’s been demoted to No. 3 behind Trevor Siemian. Wilson will be the Jets’ emergency quarterback against the Dolphins. Hackett was asked why it didn’t work out for Wilson, and danced around in his response.
“I think he’s gotten better,” Hackett said. “He’s worked so hard. It’s been a brand-new system. I think there’s been so much change. I think there’s been a lot of expectations. He really did some good things. In the end, it’s about opportunity. It’s an opportunity for more change, to have other people get opportunities. There were some missed opportunities before.
“We’re moving forward and we’re excited for this next game.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
