jgb Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Geno Smith over Michael Vick: A no-brainer for New York Jets By Adam Schein NFL Media columnist Published: July 25, 2014 at 11:54 a.m. Updated: July 25, 2014 at 12:16 p.m. If you get through the clutter, if you move past the noise, if you don't get caught up in the familiar state of confusion and controversy, something wonderful and logical happened at New York Jets training camp on Thursday. Geno Smith took 75 percent of the snaps with the first team. This is kind of a big deal. This needs to happen. There should be no quarterback battle in New York. The 2014 Jets should be all about developing and maximizing their second-year quarterback, putting him in the best position to succeed. Since Gang Green signed Michael Vick to a one-year, $5 million deal in March, there have been moments of mayhem. Was Vick signed to start? Play backup? Scare Geno? Compete for the job? And the waters continually get muddied whenever Jets coaches -- or the quarterbacks themselves -- talk to the media about this situation. Here's what I believe: Geno's the guy, but Vick's presence means the youngster cannot get comfortable. At this stage of his career, Vick is a backup quarterback. And actually, in many ways, if you remove his high-profile name, Vick is the perfect backup for these Jets. First of all, he knows offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg's system well from their time together in Philadelphia, so he'd be comfortable if suddenly pressed into action. Secondly, when you have a young starter, your backup ideally serves a mentorship role. Vick certainly has that in him -- just look at the way he got along with Nick Foles last season, even after the youngster took his job. Vick was a great teammate in Philly, as his Eagles cohorts constantly pointed out. Yes, Vick's competitive fire still burns bright, but there's no QB controversy here. Or at least there shouldn't be. Smith's rookie campaign was indeed a roller-coaster ride. But it's easy to forget how normal it is to see neophytes struggle at the quarterback position. (The fact that Smith's debut season directly followed an extraordinary year for rookie QBs -- with Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson making it look easy -- certainly didn't help matters.) Typically, you get drafted and your head is swimming learning a new playbook. The game is faster. It's a different world. We should credit the adroit rookie QBs more than we bury those who struggle. No, Smith didn't perform spectacularly last season, but it wasn't all on him. The Jets' playmakers were non-existent. The team's running backs, receivers and tight ends were, comparatively speaking, bottom of the barrel. This offseason, general manager John Idzik did a really nice job improving the talent around Geno. Eric Decker isn't a true No. 1 receiver, but he's a major upgrade and the Jets didn't overpay. In April, I wrote that "CJ2K" is defunct, but Chris Johnson is still a very good runner in the NFL. Like Decker, Johnson's worlds better than what the Jets rolled out at his position last season. And don't overlook the Breno Giacomini signing; the offensive tackle, who just won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks, provides a healthy boost to New York's offensive line. Geno Smith will be better in 2014. I keep coming back to what my CBS Sports Network colleague Phil Simms told me on SiriusXM Radio before this past May's draft: "I think, if Geno Smith was in this draft class, he would be the No. 1 guy, without question." It all adds up to success ... if the Jets don't foul it up. Owning first-team reps is invaluable to Geno. It allows him to develop chemistry and develop as a leader. At this point, it would take an upset bigger than the Jets winning Super Bowl III for Smith not to be the guy. Unfortunately, Rex Ryan refuses to name a starter -- or even establish a timetable for a decision to be made. Good thing I am here to help. Personally, I would've named Geno the starter in the spring time, but this is Rex Ryan we're talking about. After the failed 2012 season, I wrote a column on why the Jets needed a new coach, largely referencing Ryan's inability to manage the quarterback position. Heck, Rex threw Mark Sanchez to the wolves last summer, putting him in behind a makeshift line in preseason garbage time, and consequently leaving the Jets without a veteran backup last year. Free advice, Rex: Name Geno the starter for good before the third preseason game. Like I mentioned above, the Jets clearly don't want their young signal-caller to rest on his laurels. That said, it doesn't help if he's looking over his shoulder with every errant pass. Let him breathe a little. Everything in New York is magnified by expansive media coverage. Every Rex Ryan quote is repeated, written about and analyzed to death. If there is any hint of the Jets not being on the same page, it creates unnecessary chaos. The 2014 Jets are about Geno Smith. So are the 2015 Jets. Ryan, still on the hot seat, needs to understand that. Geno playing -- and playing well -- gives Rex the best chance to keep his job. And so it is the coach's job to place his young quarterback in the best position to succeed. Putting this objective into practice at practice is a nice start. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000368762/article/geno-smith-over-michael-vick-a-nobrainer-for-new-york-jets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buldawg Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Well, that settles it. Vick it is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Hate to agree with Schein but that is what I said in March. And the article has 509 Facebook likes, so that must make it true lol. http://www.jetnation.com/2014/03/23/the-real-story-on-michael-vick/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SenorGato Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 He's right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgb Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 He's right. He is right. If Geno performs better, equal, or even slightly worse than Vick in fake football season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 He is right. If Geno performs better, equal, or even slightly worse than Vick in fake football season. What does this mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgb Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 What does this mean? before it counts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack48 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000368762/article/geno-smith-over-michael-vick-a-nobrainer-for-new-york-jets ....And who is more qualified to expound on the subject of "no brainers" than good old Adam? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sperm Edwards Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 I don't agree. Let Smith look over his shoulder for a month. He hasn't earned anything other than a slight benefit of the doubt. The Jets don't owe Smith this upcoming season. Everyone knows the job is Smith's, but I see no reason to have him not worry about his job. During the season, of course, that's bad. But in July? Man, if he can't handle a QB competition where he's been given the clear upper hand and benefit of the doubt, then cut him now. Ryan is handling this properly so far IF he is really going to sit Geno week 1 if he gets noticeably outplayed over the next month. If Smith will win the job, even in that case, then Ryan might as well name him. But if Geno only wins if he's outright better, or if it's close enough that one can write off Vick's edge to over 10 years of experience, then there's no sense in naming the starter. And if it seems that a slight edge in performance is Vick's due to his experience, I think the team will understand why they'd still go with Smith. Ryan/Idzik are handling this differently than the way that Ryan/Tannenbaum handled Sanchez from year 2 onward. Yeah, in 2010 they brought in a "mentor" #2 QB, but Sanchez would have had to have his right arm amputated before they'd have named Brunell the team's starter in the 2010 preseason at age 39 (and without a meaningful start since the middle of the 2006 season). Vick is not purely a mentor; he can obviously still play. So let them duke it out. If it's 2-3 weeks from now and Smith is not disappointing, and particularly if he's outperforming Vick outright, then by all means name him as the starter because at that point he'll have earned the job. But what good would it do if Vick is outplaying him - even if only a little - but the team knows the 2nd-best QB will be starting because it's been officially announced? Not much IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetlife33 Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 I'm one of the few pro-geno guys on this board. But let the guy work for it and compete don't just hand it to him. So far he's done nicely in camp, hope he keeps it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slats Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Geno will start the first two preseason games, and then be named the starter for the season before starting the third preseason game and playing into the second half. As Sperm said, there's no harm in not giving him the label yet. It's obvious what they're doing (giving Geno 75% of the first team reps), but it doesn't hurt to leave the window open for Vick. Geno needs to develop a little more mental toughness, and a little competition -however bogus- will help in that regard. He has to know that one bad day in camp will lead to the tabloids screaming for Vick the following day. He needs to play consistently well in camp, and that's a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetlife33 Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Geno will start the first two preseason games, and then be named the starter for the season before starting the third preseason game and playing into the second half. As Sperm said, there's no harm in not giving him the label yet. It's obvious what they're doing (giving Geno 75% of the first team reps), but it doesn't hurt to leave the window open for Vick. Geno needs to develop a little more mental toughness, and a little competition -however bogus- will help in that regard. He has to know that one bad day in camp will lead to the tabloids screaming for Vick the following day. He needs to play consistently well in camp, and that's a good thing. This is how I'm hoping it plays out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugg Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 How anyone after the Sanchez Error would think simply handing a young QB The Job without anyone pushing him is baffling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugg Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 How anyone after the Sanchez Error would think simply handing a young QB The Job without anyone pushing him is baffling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sperm Edwards Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 How anyone after the Sanchez Error would think simply handing a young QB The Job without anyone pushing him is baffling. Agree. At the same time, though, they're two different players, so I think there's more to either one's success or failure than naming him starter officially (particularly when he's been named the starter unofficially). But if Smith needs to be made that much more comfortable than the job being his to lose and the whole franchise pulling for him, then just dump his mushy head now. I think (emotionally) he's showing he's more than that, and so far is handling the "competition" fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCarl40 Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Geno needs to earn it, but at this point he's the better QB. That's not saying much, but Vick is just a name. If you took him by just his recent numbers, you would be hard pressed to think he's a guy who can be an effective, healthy starting QB in the NFL anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warfish Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 I'd have liked to see a fair, even, legitimate competition this year between Geno and Vick. Early word from camp seems to show thats not going to happen. So we simply have to trust the staff and front office is making the right decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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