FOXBOROUGH — Stephen Hill stood in front of his locker here yesterday and patiently answered every painful question about his excruciating fourth-quarter drop.
The Jets’ rookie wide receiver might not have reliable hands, but he isn’t going to run away and hide from the criticism, either.
“It was just a crucial drop that I should have caught,” the second-round pick from Georgia Tech said by way of explanation for the third-down bungle that eventually cost the Jets in a 29-26 overtime loss to the Patriots.
“I was trying to run before I had the ball, and I didn’t keep my eyes to the tuck,” Hill continued. “I didn’t do my job, and it’s my fault.”
The scenario: Down 23-20 in the waning minutes of regulation, the Jets were driving and faced third-and-four from the New England 25 when Hill found himself achingly open 15 yards downfield to Mark Sanchez’s right.
Sanchez’s throw was perfect, and Hill most likely could have scored had he not bobbled the ball away. The miscue forced the Jets to settle for the game-tying field goal with 2:06 left, paving the way for a wild finish to regulation and a maddening loss for Gang Green in overtime.
“It was a tough one,” Sanchez said, before pausing to exclaim “Steve!” and then letting out an audible sigh. “He had a good game, too.”
Hill, who was caught by the television cameras being consoled by Tim Tebow on the sideline, said he immediately went up to Sanchez and apologized for the drop.
“I said it was my bad, but Mark said to just let it go because they needed me for overtime,” Hill said.
Hill’s drops have been a constant source of agita for the Jets and their fans since general manager Mike Tannenbaum selected him despite Hill rarely seeing the ball as a receiver in Georgia Tech’s ground-bound option offense.
Hill had a reputation for crucial drops in college, too, and he did nothing to dispel it by struggling to catch the ball in training camp and the exhibition season. He also had a glaring drop in last month’s OT win at Miami, and those woes combined with chronic hamstring problems were starting to overshadow Hill’s two-touchdown season debut against the Bills.
But don’t suggest to Hill that he needs to spend more time with the JUGS passing machine.
“It’s not the JUGS,” he said curtly. “I’ve been on the JUGS plenty of times. I just took my eye off it.”
The drop overshadowed an otherwise strong game by Hill, who finished with four catches for 55 yards. The Jets, though, can only ask “what if?” had Hill ended up with five receptions instead.
“They still have faith in me, and I still have faith in them,” Hill said. “I definitely still have faith in myself. I wouldn’t be out here if I didn’t have faith in myself.”