The New York Jets 2013 season has hit a crossroads. At 5-6 they have a better record than predicted by most experts, and are tied for the final wild card spot in the AFC. The truly amazing thing about the Jets having the record that they do is that they are terrible offensively, and the main reason for the anemic offense is rookie quarterback Geno Smith. If the Jets want to be playoff contenders, now is the time to had the reins over to Matt Simms.
First of all, the job should not have been Smith’s to begin with. Geno was dismal in the preseason and was out-performed by both Mark Sanchez and Matt Simms (Albeit Simms appeared mostly against back-ups and players who did not make their teams) Had Sanchez not gone down against the Giants in week 3 of the preseason, Smith would have been the back-up this season. Smith was picked off three times in that same game versus the Giants, and he played against the first team defense.
As for the regular season, Smith has basically been awful all year. Take away his 16/20 199 yard 3 touchdown 0 interception game against now 2-9 Atlanta, one of the worst defenses in the league, Smith is 159/297 passing, which amounts to an awful 53% completion rate with only five touchdowns and an egregious amount of turnovers. (18 interceptions, five fumbles lost.) Smith’s total QBR for the season (0-100) is 48.5 which ranks him 22nd in the NFL. Take away the Atlanta game he drops down to 41.3 which is 27th. Smith is responsible for all but one of the Jets turnovers. These turnovers have led to 84 points for the opposition and one of the worst average opponent drive start positions in the league. Even the Jets stellar defense can not overcome that.
Smith has also shown almost zero intangible skills and football IQ all year. He holds the ball way too long, leading to many sacks, he stares down his receiver on almost every throw which inherently leads to interceptions. He does not know when to throw the ball away or when to tuck and run, and he has been awful at making adjustments at the line. For those who argue that he lacks the offensive weapons around him to succeed, look at Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, and Eli Manning. Those guys take guys who were no names, late round picks and undrafted free agents and make them stars year in and year out. (See Wes Welker, Victor Cruz, Julius Thomas, Julian Edelman, Marques Colston) The good and great quarterbacks in the NFL maximize the talent around them. The also have the 8th ranked rushing attack in the league, so its not as if Smith is on an island out there, he has talent around him. The offense is bad because, as plainly as I can say it, Smith is bad. He lacks intangibles, does not have above average arm strength or accuracy ad is not a smart decision maker. Does that sound like a winning NFL quarterback?
The only reason, or at least the way it appears the switch may not be made is for GM John Idzik to save face and to avoid another QB controversy for the Jets. Geno was John Idzik’s guy at the draft, his answer to the Jets quarterback troubles. It was a bad selection. With Rex’s future up in the air, it would make sense to avoid the circus that was the 2012 Jets QB controversy again and to play the man the GM wants at QB. But if the Jets go 5-11 and lose out with Geno continuing to play poorly, it won’t matter and Rex will be gone regardless.
Everything about Geno Smith points to him being the same or worse than Mark Sanchez. Imagine Sanchez had these awful numbers? He would have been run out of town by a mob by now. The NFL is a “what have you done for me lately?” league, not a “what can you maybe do for me in the future?” league. Geno Smith has done nothing for the Jets and has shown very little promise. They can’t afford to waste three years on another Quarterback who will never be anything special.
The NFL is a passing league, and with Smith at the helm, Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg can not open up all his pass plays because he does not trust Smith to not turn it over. If the Jets are to succeed they need to take chances. They have a playoff caliber defense. Matt Simms may not be the solution to the Jets QB woes, but he is definitely a better option than Geno Smith. (Hey even Tom Brady was a backup once too right?) Simms has a strong arm, is a good decision maker, comes from a great NFL pedigree and will be playing with nothing to lose, just as he Jets should be. After all they were supposed to be ” A glorified expansion team” in the words of ESPN’s Mel Kiper. So at 5-6, tied for 6th place and a playoff spot, with a very winnable upcoming schedule, now is not the time to worry about what the GM wants. Forget about stunting the development of your second round pick. Forget about controversy. Do what is best for the team and will get wins. Pull the plug on Geno, Rex. It’s Matt Simms’ time now.
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