Jets' Petty sees 'night-and-day' improvement since rookie year

New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty has been the forgotten man this offseason.

Last season's starter Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Jets cannot agree to a deal to bring him back, Geno Smith is penciled in as the starter in his absence, and the Jets added Christian Hackenberg in the second round of this year's draft.

All of this has pushed Petty, a fourth-round section in the 2015 NFL Draft, into the background.

The 24-year-old was always viewed as a long-term project, but he believes his development from his first to second season in the league has been dramatic.

"For me, where I was when they drafted me last year to where I am now, it's night-and-day difference," Petty said Monday, according to Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media.

Petty said he's focused on learning the subtleties of the position, and he's seeing improvements in his real-life and virtual skills.

"For me, it's a process," Petty said. "Just watching film, I'm seeing things. I played Madden the other day, and it's not just picking run plays anymore. It's like, 'Oh, they've got an under front (on defense).' You start picking up things differently. That's exciting for me.

"If there's anybody I can emulate playing, mentally wise, it's Fitz. It was so awesome to be with him last year, just to see, cognitively, how he thinks about every play and how he goes in to prepare. The capacity for his mental side of the game to be that extreme, that's what I try to emulate."

Like many other Jets players, Petty wants to see Fitzpatrick return, but understands the 33-year-old's fighting for what may be his last big payday in the NFL.

"We want to see him in the locker room, but we also understand it's a business," Petty said. "He's got to do the things to put food on the table for his family."