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You never want to hear this sort of news in general, let alone wake up to it.
New York Jets passing-game specialist and quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp is reportedly in critical condition after a bicycle accident sometime this weekend (July 17-18, 2021) in California, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS.
Klis reported that Knapp was hospitalized after suffering serious injuries in the accident, which was confirmed by the coach’s agent Jeff Sperbeck.
Although we’re still waiting on more information, the breaking story is that “Knapp was riding his bicycle when he was struck by a motorist.”
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Sad Day for the NFL, Jets
No matter the outcome, this is a horrible tragedy for a man that has earned nothing but respect from the NFL community and his peers.
Knapp is a distinguished veteran of the game, with 23 years of NFL coaching experience under his belt to go along with his college career as a QB at Sacramento State University. He has worked with some of the greatest quarterbacks of the modern era, like Peyton Manning, Matt Ryan and Steve Young at the tail-end of his career.
The QB coach even won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos and Manning in 2015. More impressive were the single-season passing records that the pair set together in 2013 just two years after the former Indianapolis Colts signal-caller sustained a major neck injury.
Knapp didn’t only have success coaching the legends though. His influence impacted a plethora of developmental quarterbacks along the way.
That list includes players like Matt Schaub, Brock Osweiler, Trevor Siemian and Michael Vick as the Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator in 2004.
Speaking of his days as a play-caller, Knapp has served as an OC five times, spanning 10 years of his illustrious career. Aside from the Falcons, he coordinated with the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders (twice).
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Crucial Loss for Jets
Make no mistake, this heartbreaking accident is also a significant loss for the Jets franchise and Zach Wilson.
Head coach Robert Saleh added Knapp to his staff in 2021. The idea was for the wise NFL brain to mentor the BYU product during his rookie campaign.
You see, Knapp coached with Gary Kubiak and stems from the same offensive coaching tree as Jets OC Mike LaFleur. Gang Green has also made no effort to bring in a veteran quarterback behind Wilson.
That role was entrusted to Knapp, whose immediate future is now uncertain — even if he does make a full recovery like we all hope.
This shocking turn of events could further signal general manager Joe Douglas to make a move for veteran quarterback Nick Foles, a trustworthy leader and mentor in his own right that has helped teach younger players like Carson Wentz and Gardner Minshew.
There is no downplaying the severity of this horrible incident, from a human and NFL community standpoint, but also a Jets standpoint. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Coach “Knapper” and we wish him a speedy recovery.
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