Geno has the Keys, but for how Long?
The Ryan Fitzpatrick era is over in New York. After a fantastic season, leaving hope for a Jets playoff run, Fitz couldn’t get the job done, tossing only five touchdowns and eleven interceptions in his first six starts. Now the Jets are 1-5, the idea of playoffs far off into the distance, and the Jets owe it to themselves and to their fan base to see what they have at quarterback. Switching to Geno Smith was the first step.
Make no mistake about it, Geno Smith is no Dak Prescott. He’s not going to be the backup who comes in and lights up the league after being named the starter. There’s a reason the Jets re-signed Fitzpatrick in the offseason when they still had Smith on the roster. Geno is somewhat of a known commodity. He’s not a rookie, and for the most part, the Jets have seen what he can do. For a team that’s looking to get rid of the turnovers on offense, Smith doesn’t seem like the obvious choice. In 32 career games, he’s thrown 36 interceptions and fumbled 16 times, seven for loss. In his most recent season, he was 3-11 as the starter. So why are we all so excited about Geno?
For one thing, seeing Bowles move on from Fitzpatrick was a sign that he is looking towards the future, rather than having the Jets ride it out with a quarterback who definitely won’t be on the roster next year. Moreover, the Jets are hoping that Smith has matured, and they’re hoping for the Geno that threw for 358 yards and three touchdowns, with a perfect passer rating in his last start. They’re hoping for the Geno that led the league in game-winning drives his rookie season. Smith’s career has been anything but smooth in his first two seasons, but at his best, he has shown potential to be a solid starting quarterback in this league.
Don’t expect the latter immediately, as Smith is inheriting an offense with a banged up offensive line, one that had trouble keeping Fitzpatrick upright this past week. The right side of the offensive line has struggled, and Nick Mangold is questionable with a knee injury. He’s also missing Eric Decker, of course, and will have to heavily rely on Brandon Marshall in his first game. The pieces aren’t all there to encourage Smith’s success, so the prospect of Geno dazzling early on is doubtful.
Having said that, Smith isn’t necessarily considered the quarterback of the future, so the window to prove himself is small. With games coming up against struggling pass defenses in the Ravens, Browns, and Dolphins, Geno is going to have to show improvement to keep the job on a weekly basis. The Jets have young quarterbacks that they spent high draft picks on waiting in the wings, and Geno is going to have to play well enough to keep them from getting their turn with the first-team offense.
Those younger guys are Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, and while the consensus is that Hackenberg still has a long way to go before he’s NFL ready, pleas for Petty are already audible. Bowles maintains that Petty isn’t physically ready, coming off a shoulder injury. Nevertheless, Bowles has hinted at possible playing time for Petty later this season.
“It’s possible,” Bowles said of last year’s fourth round pick out of Baylor seeing time. “We still got some stages to go before that point, but it’s definitely possible.”
If the Jets really view Petty starting later in the season a priority, which it should be as there are still many unanswered questions at quarterback, then Geno’s job is by no means safe. Even as it is, Geno is set to be a free agent at the end of the season, and unless he shows why he can be the guy going forward, he’ll be heading out of New York on the same flight as Fitz.
If that’s the case, the Jets likely won’t feel comfortable heading into next season with no quarterbacks on the roster who have ever seen the field in an NFL game, so it’s clearly in New York’s best interest to give at least Bryce Petty a chance to show what he can do. The coaching staff has praised Petty in training camp, and his showing this preseason was encouraging for Jets fans. The major critique of Petty coming out of college was that he never played in a pro-style offense at Baylor, but the arm talent and the leadership he possesses has never been questioned. According to his teammates, Petty is always one of the first ones to arrive at the practice facility at 5:30, and he’s been hungry to play. The Jets are extremely impressed with his poise, something that was on display early in the draft process, as he showed in an interview on SportsCenter.
At Baylor, he sat under RG3 for years before finally getting his opportunity, and when he got his chance, he made the best of it, leading Baylor to two straight 11-win seasons, scoring 81 touchdowns. The main number that stands out is the ten interceptions in two full years, something that would be refreshing for the Jets at the quarterback position. He’s also showed the ability to use his legs, adding an extra dimension to a currently stagnant Jets.
For now, Todd Bowles has given Geno Smith the reigns, and it’s Smith’s job to lose. The tougher part of the Jets’ schedule is behind them, and Geno and the Jets are ready to roll into Sunday. Jets fans are certainly excited to see him get this opportunity, and while expectations aren’t high, he’ll have to impress going forward, or he’ll see Bryce Petty on his heels in a hurry.
