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Mehta: Vick Smart Enough to Know He's not the Starter, Despite Company Competition Line

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Football Jets

Manish Mehta BY MANISH MEHTA

 

NY Jets' Michael Vick smart enough to know he's not the starting quarterback, despite company 'competition' line

 

Vick is right. Ryan knows he’s right. Idzik knows he’s right. Vick’s teammates know he’s right. Barring an injury or flop in the preseason, Smith will be the starting quarterback against the Raiders on Sept. 7 at MetLife Stadium.

 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Thursday, May 29, 2014, 2:20 AM 

 

 

Michael Vick knows his role with the Jets even if he tries to tow the party line Wednesday.

Mike Vick was too smart to be brain washed, too savvy to be programmed by the powers that be to keep up the charade for longer than a few minutes.

 

 

The veteran quarterback was pelted with the same question after Tuesday’s OTA practice, phrased three or four different ways, before the truth came out.

 

 

One week after Vick made it clear that he doesn’t believe that he has a true shot to win the Jets’ Week 1 starting quarterback job over Geno Smith, he made it clear again.

 

 

“It’s not an open competition,” Vick said after a few half-hearted attempts to toe the company line.

 

 

Rex Ryan, programmed out of self-survival more than anything else these days, saw it differently a few minutes earlier.

 

 

“There is competition, there’s no doubt,” Ryan said. “I said from Day One that I think Geno is going to be hard to beat out. But I’ve also said that Mike’s going to have an opportunity to compete and he definitely will.”

 

 

“Competition” has been the centerpiece of general manager John Idzik’s platform. For the better part of a year and a half, Jets coaches, players and executives have preached competition, sometimes turning honest men into not-so-honest men. Anybody and everybody has a chance to win a starting job, they say with a conviction that is hardly believable.

 

 

The latest installment of the Competition Chronicles is particularly silly.

 

 

Vick is right. Ryan knows he’s right. Idzik knows he’s right. Vick’s teammates know he’s right. The security guard at the front entrance on One Jets Drive knows he’s right.

 

 

Barring an injury or flop in the preseason, Smith will be the starting quarterback against the Raiders on Sept. 7 at MetLife Stadium.

 

 

Jets officials, however, continue to perpetuate the myth that Vick, a short-term veteran insurance policy in case Smith falters, actually has an opportunity to beat out Smith this summer. Frankly, it’s insulting to Vick’s intelligence. Idzik’s mantra, of course, can be productive. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll built a Super Bowl champion on a foundation that included “Competition Wednesdays” with short scrimmages designed to fuel his team.

 

 

However, there’s no need to pretend that Vick, the ultimate team player genuinely eager to help Smith, has a legitimate chance to unseat a second-year quarterback who showed enough flashes as a rookie to deserve an opportunity to at least start 2014 under center.

 

 

 

Rex Ryan keeps insisting that Vick has a chance to win the starting QB job.

 

Vick is wise enough to realize the truth. Although he still has the skills to be a starter in the league, age and durability concerns limited his opportunities in free agency this offseason. He chose the Jets due to his familiarity with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg’s system and the chance that there may be a window for him to play at some point this season. He knows what he signed up for when he agreed to a one-year deal in March. Smith’s erratic play was tolerable in 2013 without a viable backup, but his margin for error has shrunk considerably now that Ryan & Co. have Vick.

Smith has been the anti-diva since his arrival, plugging along like a guy who knows that he has plenty of flaws to correct. Translation: He won’t get fat and lazy if the Jets put him atop the depth chart.

 

Smith’s smart enough to know that his starting job isn’t guaranteed for the season. If he struggles, he’ll be doodling on a clipboard on the sideline.

 

On a day when Vick and Ryan relayed conflicting messages, you sort of felt bad for both of them.

Ryan’s transparent placating of his boss has become commonplace.

“Let’s let it play out and we’ll see at the end of the day where it shakes out,” the coach said, spitting out stale talking points that you know he doesn’t truly believe.

 

Vick’s desire to be a solid company man for a few minutes was equally painful on the ears.

“I’m here to compete every day, help this football team win games and whatever it’s going to be in the end, it’s going to be,” he said, playing the good soldier before ultimately coming clean.

He’s been around too long, seen too much and worked too hard to be afraid of telling the truth.

 

Maybe his time will come with the Jets. Maybe it won’t. There’s no reason to lie to himself.

 

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/mehta-savvy-vet-vick-open-jets-qb-situation-article-1.1809455#ixzz3368Vyvjx

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LWC611

LWC611

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Good for Vick, not playing the patsy. When he believes he'll have a real shot to be the QB, he'll start calling it an open competition. Always amusing to listen to Rex talk about his QB position.

Agreed!!! I am growing tired of this charade as it relates to the QB position. While I hope the best man wins, the question is will the best man start?  That is what the leadership owes the team, and the fans....

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MexiRoll6

MexiRoll6

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The 'competition' between the QB's is designed to make the young guy BETTER, NOT to give the old guy another opportunity, although he would get that chance if Geno falls off the face of the earth. Competition is designed to make players better by making them fearful of losing their position to the other guy. In football that is a GOOD THING. Only Rich Cimini - Jets hater extraordinare - sees it as something to write about. Hell, the guy still references the f*c*ing Butt Fumble on a regular basis. How lame is that?

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MexiRoll6

MexiRoll6

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Good for Vick, not playing the patsy. When he believes he'll have a real shot to be the QB, he'll start calling it an open competition. Always amusing to listen to Rex talk about his QB position.

Always amusing to hear Rex talk about ANYTHING. Guy can't decide whether to crap or blow bubbles.

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NYJetsVets91

NYJetsVets91

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Some of us knew this all along, others were in denial. Vick is an insurance policy. That's it.

 

 

I don't understand why so many people are confused by this... It was the plan all along. Like Slats said Vick is an insurance policy always has been since we signed him.

 

But... he can take us to the Superbowl. 

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Integrity28

Integrity28

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Apart from the snoozefest of an article, it is amazing to me that a professional (allegedly) journalist doesn't know that the correct saying is "TOE" the party line, not "TOW" the party line".

 

This was literally my only take-away from the article, other than the herpes.

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Jet Enforcer

Jet Enforcer

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I agree with most of you when I say that this QB disecting is really stupid & getting on my nerves! I knew that after all was said and done with the draft the reporters really had no more ammunition to throw at the Jets except for the lingering QB decision, which we all know is just a front for fans, writers, and other teams to not be able to know what we are planning for this up comming season. Geno will start unless he looks just like he did during last pre-seaon, which I am confident that he will look a hell of a lot better under our well deserved new offense!! (CANT WAIT!!!)  ::GoJets: 

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SenorGato

SenorGato

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Some of us knew this all along, others were in denial. Vick is an insurance policy. That's it.

 

Exactly. Trying to paint the Vick signing as anything more than QB depth was just desperate folks seeking to uphold their same tired narratives about the Jets. Vick's 34 years old and last played a full season when he was 26. Any boasting about coming in and taking the starter job would have been laughed off and thrown on the pile with the dog stuff. He, nor the Jets, have had any delusions about what his signing was. 

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Villain The Foe

Villain The Foe

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Agreed!!! I am growing tired of this charade as it relates to the QB position. While I hope the best man wins, the question is will the best man start?  That is what the leadership owes the team, and the fans....

Jet fans have been wondering about this point since the Vick signing. Before Sanchez got hurt the word on the street was that Sanchez would most likely be the week 1 starter. Rex wanting to win the Snoopy bowl kinda messed that one up. Also remember that Idzik comes from the front office that moved forward on letting a 3rd round rookie start week 1 over Matt Flynn who they had just gave I believe a 25 million dollar contract to. There wasn't even the conversation of Russell being part of some competition for the starting job when he was drafted because the Seahawks thought they had their starter already. When OTA's, training camp and the preseason came about they seen what they had, and made at the time a generally very risky, unpopular decision to go with a 3rd round rookie that every team passed on over a QB that they just gave pretty sizable contract to. 

 

John Idzik will put the best players on the field, especially at QB. Yes he drafted Geno, but he also signed Vick and there's no reason to force the issue with Geno if he's not better than Vick. Putting the best players on the field will help him keep his job, not keeping the better player on the bench simply to make it look like his draft pick is working out. I dont get the indication that Idzik has that big of an ego. He spent a 2nd rounder worth 4 years 5 million dollars on Geno. Vick is getting paid as much this year as Geno is getting in his entire contract. So Geno is definitely expendable if need be. Idzik is not holding himself hostage to a 2nd round pick, 5 million dollars over 4 years and an over sense of pride. 

 

If Vick is the better QB he will be the week 1 starter period....but only "if" he's better. 

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T0mShane

T0mShane

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The Jets beat reporters stirring this fake controversy need to give it a rest, no fan cares, this is the epitome of off-season non-news. You think Vick actually signed up not knowing Geno was going to be the default starter?

Rex: "Mike Vick, Boyitellya, this is an open competition open competition open competition."

Media: "Jets QB race an open competition"

Jets fans: "Stupid media making up stories about an open competition!"

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SenorGato

SenorGato

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Rex: "Mike Vick, Boyitellya, this is an open competition open competition open competition."

Media: "Jets QB race an open competition"

Jets fans: "Stupid media making up stories about an open competition!"

 

What about the part where Rex says Geno is going to be tough to beat? 

 

V

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JohnJ

JohnJ

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Actually that's Rex answering stupid questions from the media, over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....

 

criticizing Rex for for that is just as stupid

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Jetscode1

Jetscode1

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Drivel...Lol...

 

It's utter drivel...lol

 

 

Actually that's Rex answering stupid questions from the media, over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....

 

criticizing Rex for for that is just as stupid

 

Hi Manish!  

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