FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Breece Hall is happy coming to work these days, focused on helping the New York Jets win games.
That has been a tough task the past few years for the star running back. But Hall has some reason for optimism as he prepares for his fourth NFL season.
New coach Aaron Glenn has his players believing in the messaging about changing the culture of a franchise that has the league’s longest active playoff drought at 14 seasons. The thought of a new system on offense that maximizes his abilities also has Hall thinking he could have more opportunities to shine.
“Yeah, I honestly do,” Hall said Saturday after the Jets’ fourth practice of training camp. “In the past, there’s been a lot of instability and stuff around just the whole operation. And I feel like this year, everybody’s bought in to this coaching staff. Everybody’s bought in to our GM. Everybody’s bought in to our owner still.
“So it’s like, it just feels a lot better around here coming in every day.”
The Jets went 5-12 last season, when coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas were fired in the middle of all the losing.
Hall’s comments echo those of other young Jets players including cornerback Sauce Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson and right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.
“I can see this thing turning around, for sure, especially with Glenn, the type of coach he is,” Vera-Tucker said. “He praises physicality, but even more, like, accountability. I think that’s very important for a head coach to do. You know, it’s something I haven’t seen as much of in my career.”
Hall is coming off a disappointing individual season during which he rushed for just 876 yards with a career-low 4.2 yards per carry. But Glenn has made it clear to Hall that he’s the Jets’ starting running back and the leader of what New York hopes will be a three-headed attack with Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis.
New offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand is running an offense similar to the one in Detroit for which he was the passing game coordinator. And that’s good news for Hall.
“I think from a whole offensive standpoint, we’ve all really bought in to this run scheme,” he said. “I think it fits our backs more. I think it makes a lot of more sense to the guys up front and the reasoning why we’re doing everything and what we’re doing it for — how we’re going to set other plays up with our run game. So I think to see how much we’ve all bought in to it and trusting our coaches now has been good.”
Hall is entering a contract year after being a second-round pick in the 2022 draft out of Iowa State. Two of the Jets’ three first-round selections from that year — cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson — received huge extensions shortly before training camp.
Hall said he’s not expecting to receive one himself before the regular season. And he’s OK with that.
“We’ve got a new head coach, new GM and obviously I wasn’t drafted by them,” Hall said. “I’m not their guy. So for me, I’ve got to prove it every day. I think for me, I’ve got a chip on my shoulder. I feel like right now, OK, it’s my last chance. You know, for me, it’s always been, oh, he’s got potential, he’s got potential, but I want to be the product. So now it’s all just about putting my head down and working.
“So I feel like I don’t really want to discuss all the other stuff. For me, I just try to worry about ball right now.”
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