Jets rookie QB Cade Klubnik is confident, not cocky as he prepares for his NFL debut

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Cade Klubnik's confidence on the field has impressed his New York Jets teammates just as much as his big throws and quick grasp of the playbook.

The rookie quarterback understands there's a clear distinction, though, between poise and cockiness.

“I think for me, you have to be confident stepping on the field,” Klubnik said Wednesday after a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "And where the line is, I would also say that you have to be aware of where you’re at and humble enough to realize that I’m not where I want to be yet and I need to go get better.

“And I think that if you’re cocky, you’re realizing, ‘I’ve arrived.’ You are everything you’re going to be. But I’m not where I want to be at, you know?”

Nope, and not even close, as far as the fourth-round draft pick from Clemson is concerned.

“But I’m confident when I step on the field because I’m confident in the work that I’ve put in, the studying, that I’m just chasing to be the best I can be every day,” Klubnik said. “And that’s where my confidence comes from, is from my preparation and from the work and the games that I have played and the reps that I had and studying. That’s what gives me confidence, but then it’s also the fact that, you know, I've got a long way to go.”

Klubnik has sounded like a veteran off the field and had some impressive moments on it during training camp, such as his pretty 50-yard touchdown pass to Arian Smith during drills against the Buccaneers. There have also been some not-so-great plays, like the interception on a deep throw in the same practice.

It's all part of the normal ebb and flow of a rookie quarterback's development.

“I’ve seen him grow each and every day, and that was the expectation for that player anyway,” coach Aaron Glenn said. “There’s still a lot of growing for him to do when it comes to being a quarterback in the NFL, but I think the one thing that he does, he takes on the challenge.”

Klubnik is competing with Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook for a backup role behind starter Geno Smith. The next step for Klubnik will be Friday night in the preseason opener against the Buccaneers. Smith and the rest of the starters will play, but Klubnik is sure to see significant snaps — perhaps even as the No. 2 quarterback.

He had plenty of experience in college, starting 40 games over four years at Clemson. And he thinks that seasoning helped prepare him for this moment.

“When the fire’s blazing, you have a little bit of a presence, kind of like I’ve been here before,” Klubnik said. "And obviously, the speed is different, all of that. But it’s still football. And being able to just have a lot of games under my belt has definitely helped. But it is a new level and everything’s faster, everything’s quicker. You've got to think faster pre-snap, post-snap. And that’s a transition, for sure.

“But I think that it definitely has helped me. I think just maybe I’ll step on the field and go play quarterback.”

Cornerback Qwan'tez Stiggers is in the concussion protocol a day after he collapsed during practice and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

The Jets and Buccaneers were in the middle of special teams drills late in practice Tuesday when Stiggers came to the sideline and briefly lost consciousness. He was attended to for several minutes while concerned teammates looked on, many taking a knee and praying. Stiggers was conscious and talking when he was put on a stretcher and placed in the ambulance.

He was released from the hospital later in the day and was resting at home.

“I talked to him a good amount last night, he’s doing well," Glenn said. "I talked to his wife, she’s taking good care of him, so I’m happy about that.”

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