The New York Jets are heading into Week 5 after a very disappointing loss at home against the Seattle Seahawks. With that loss, the team falls to 1-3 on the season, as many are starting to question their quarterback situation.
When Ryan Fitzpatrick signed his one-year, $12M contract this offseason, many fans of the New York Jets were very excited. The thought was that the Jets would be getting their trusted signal caller back with the chance to finally take one of the league’s hungriest franchises over the NFL Playoff hump.
Now that we are a quarter of the way through the 2016-2017 season, the Jets find themselves at 1-3, and they are not getting what they expected from their veteran quarterback. Fitzpatrick has been turning the ball over at a historically high rate, and he just doesn’t seem to be on the same page as his receivers like he was last season.
Now that the offense seems to be headed south with Fitzpatrick at the helm, many fans are looking for backup quarterback Geno Smith get an opportunity as the starter within the near future. While it may be a bit premature for Smith to get the nod, it is certainly not a far-fetched idea that he could be the starter at some point within the next few weeks.
If Fitzpatrick continues to struggle, and the Jets continue to lose, the Jets will start to lose control of their ability to make the postseason. The Jets would then be at a point where they’d have very little to lose, and it would make all the sense in the world to give Smith one last chance.
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Smith is currently in a contract year with the Jets, and he hasn’t gotten a lengthy opportunity since the later part of the 2014-2015 season, where he put together a few impressive performances. It would be a shame to see him leave the team without getting one final chance to prove himself.
There are also plenty of other reasons to believe in Smith apart from the way he played at the end of the 2014-2015 season. Smith is a young player at twenty-years-old with plenty of physical talent including outstanding arm strength and the athleticism to make big plays with his legs.
What has been far and away the biggest issue for Smith is the mental aspect of playing the quarterback position. He has made a plethora of very poor in-game decisions over the course of his career. If he has developed in that part of the game, it would be possible for Smith to become a successful quarterback in the NFL.
Something else that has been called into question, is Smith’s ability to command the respect of the locker room. This is a very important aspect of being a quarterback, and it is something that could be a concern with the Jets as the roster is loaded with veterans. Smith would need to step up as a leader if he wants to help the Jets turn things around this season
If the Jets keep losing, it will be the clear choice for them to start Smith. They need to make sure that he is not the answer at quarterback if they get the chance. If the team ends up with nothing to lose, the Jets would be fools not to play Smith.
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