Sunday Notes: Jets Faith In Smith is Unusual

[RutgersJetFan]

Math is gay neway

[Jetsfan80]

[furrows brow, looks around, shrugs, raises hand]

Window for what?

 

Reaching the playoffs, winning titles.  You know, stuff that good teams are trying to do.  

[dbatesman]

Reaching the playoffs, winning titles. You know, stuff that good teams are trying to do.

You think our window to win a title is currently open?

[Savage69]

Bowles won't get blamed until he has a product on the field that fails, MM failed with the jets staff he was hired to work with for what ever reason...... I think success will be tied to a good staff and team, Rex was unable to determine the people he needed to work with that would make his staff succeed, and I still don't think Rex is capable of being that type of leader that can lead an entire staff, I believe he is good at smaller leadership roles.

No fans are blaming Chan Gailey instead..LOL 

[Jetsfan80]

You think our window to win a title is currently open?

 

Depends on a lot of factors.  I've said a few times you need to prove you can make the playoffs before you can become a title contender.  So reaching the postseason within the next 2 years is a must.  For this season, at the very least, we need to become an attractive destination for a QB (whether that's via free agency/trade or the draft).

[RutgersJetFan]

Depends on a lot of factors.  I've said a few times you need to prove you can make the playoffs before you can become a title contender.  So reaching the postseason within the next 2 years is a must.  For this season, at the very least, we need to become an attractive destination for a QB (whether that's via free agency/trade or the draft).

 

I agree. Making the playoffs is definitely a necessary if we want to win a Super Bowl.

[BroadwayJoe12]

I agree. Making the playoffs is definitely a necessary if we want to win a Super Bowl.

 

I'm not sure if this is accurate, I'm going to consult the google.

[Savage69]

I agree. Making the playoffs is definitely a necessary if we want to win a Super Bowl.

Making the playoffs wasn't important if you were a Kenny O fan..

[slats]

Depends on a lot of factors.  I've said a few times you need to prove you can make the playoffs before you can become a title contender.  So reaching the postseason within the next 2 years is a must.  For this season, at the very least, we need to become an attractive destination for a QB (whether that's via free agency/trade or the draft).

So how long is this window open? And what's going to cause it to close?

[UnitedWhofans]

The one name on that list that is interesting is Jake Plummer. Led the Cardinals to the playoffs in 1998. Made the Pro Bowl in 2005. 

[kelticwizard]

Firing agents, airplane incidents, missing meeting in SD w/ ridiculous excuse, dickpic accusations.  

 

1.  Firing agents:  Geno's own representation, his own business.

2.  Airplane incidents:  Airline apologized to him. 

3.  Missing meeting in SD w/ ridiculous excuse:  Not good.  But happened one time.

4.  Dickpic accusations:  His own business.  And welcome to the world of all forms of electronic communication, all the time. 

[HessStation]

I still have a slight hope for Geno. We shall see.

Me too actually. Slight. Nobody should be completely written off after two years.

[Jetsfan80]

So how long is this window open? And what's going to cause it to close?

Depends how much elite talent Macc can bring in when we inevitably lose Revis, and perhaps Wilkerson or Sheldon. Obviously he has to keep the window open as long as possible or he risks losing his job.

[artemusclyde]

That's encouraging, actually.

 

That's actually pretty horrid. I can understand the hate on Mariota and the worries about him being able to make reads, but to hate on Winston, a guy who is already making reads? If this is true, our qb scouting is god awful. 

 

But with that said, I doubt this is true. Our team was all over Mariota at his pro day. And with Winston we tried to get him into the building for an interview but he couldn't make it. 

[RutgersJetFan]

That's actually pretty horrid. I can understand the hate on Mariota and the worries about him being able to make reads, but to hate on Winston, a guy who is already making reads? If this is true, our qb scouting is god awful.

But with that said, I doubt this is true. Our team was all over Mariota at his pro day. And with Winston we tried to get him into the building for an interview but he couldn't make it.

My guess is after the combine it became very obvious that Winston was going 1 and Tampa's price was always going to be way too high to trade up. If they didn't have him on their board it's because they knew they wouldn't have a shot. Probably even ditto for Mariota. Truth of the matter is erased the need to bother grading either once we beat Tennessee.

[ljr]

Come on Cimini ... The professional writer is starting his article out misspelling words (two - to) in his title !?!?!

Yeah, ... I'm going to trust your info & assessments :shakesheadatfool:

The Jets are sticking with Geno Smith despite to seasons of below average play. Al Bello/Getty Images

Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer

[artemusclyde]

My guess is after the combine it became very obvious that Winston was going 1 and Tampa's price was always going to be way too high to trade up. If they didn't have him on their board it's because they knew they wouldn't have a shot. Probably even ditto for Mariota. Truth of the matter is erased the need to bother grading either once we beat Tennessee.

 

Yup, Rex ****ed us. As much as I like Williams, and am satisfied with the outcome, this team needs a qb bad.

[Bugg]

who knows, maybe they see something, KNOW something about Geno Smith that I don't...even though I think I know a sh!tty quarterback when I see one...I will be hopeful nonetheless. 

More likely there is no upside to poor mouthing a potential asset. WHy show your hand or your thoughts now? 

[Ken Schroy]

Me too actually. Slight. Nobody should be completely written off after two years.

Agreed, especially with a real offensive coaching staff and some decent WR's finally to throw to.

[Jetster]

Maybe what Chan Gailey & Bowles saw was a young guy that lacked confidence, but when allowed to play freely did well.

Geno, even in his 1st year was much better in hurry up situations where the D couldn't T off on him.

Instead of Rex run-run- punt, my defense will stop them attitude, we need a shakeup, not only in how we line up on offense but tempo.

With all the rule changes in the NFL it's asinine to not take some shots down the field, hence drafting Devin Smith.

I don't know what the figures were last year but I will bet the Jets were bottom 5 in starting field position due the the utter incompetence of our special teams alone. Our defense was TERRIBLE when we had the opposing team pinned at their own goal line.

With just upgrading in those areas, we should be in better field position alone. It's much better to make a mistake on a 30 yard throw that gets picked at the opposing 10 yard line than your own 20.

I have no idea whether Geno will be able to thrive in Chans offense he chooses to use but I'd like to see a more aggressive approach to ATTACKING some of these defenses to keep them on their heels.

If we play a team with a thin secondary lets go after them. I can't remember when the Jets had a good passing game?

Look at a team like the Patriots, if you always throw to the sticks you play right into Belichicks wheelhouse. If you attack that secondary now, he can't control the fact that 30 yards down the field it's mano a mano with less help.

If you look at why the Ravens are right there with Pats & all these playoff games come down to the wire it's because Harbaugh attacks them & makes them play on their heels. Flacco has the arm to force them to play a much deeper, larger field. I think Geno has that arm, I'm just not convinced he has the brain? If you look at most of Genos pick sixes MOST are short passes & 1st reads (like that horrible one in Minny).

I'd love to see an offense that tries to exploit the fact that very few NFL defenses have deep secondaries.

Can't wait to see what Chan comes up with. I'm sure it will be an offense that also plays to Pettys strengths since they both came out of spread offenses.

[section314]

Agreed, especially with a real offensive coaching staff and some decent WR's finally to throw to.

Agree, two years is way to early to dismiss a guy.But if he s**ts the bed this year, ex -Jet next year.

[FloridaJetsFan]

Maybe what Chan Gailey & Bowles saw was a young guy that lacked confidence, but when allowed to play freely did well.

Geno, even in his 1st year was much better in hurry up situations where the D couldn't T off on him.

Instead of Rex run-run- punt, my defense will stop them attitude, we need a shakeup, not only in how we line up on offense but tempo.

With all the rule changes in the NFL it's asinine to not take some shots down the field, hence drafting Devin Smith.

I don't know what the figures were last year but I will bet the Jets were bottom 5 in starting field position due the the utter incompetence of our special teams alone. Our defense was TERRIBLE when we had the opposing team pinned at their own goal line.

With just upgrading in those areas, we should be in better field position alone. It's much better to make a mistake on a 30 yard throw that gets picked at the opposing 10 yard line than your own 20.

I have no idea whether Geno will be able to thrive in Chans offense he chooses to use but I'd like to see a more aggressive approach to ATTACKING some of these defenses to keep them on their heels.

If we play a team with a thin secondary lets go after them. I can't remember when the Jets had a good passing game?

Look at a team like the Patriots, if you always throw to the sticks you play right into Belichicks wheelhouse. If you attack that secondary now, he can't control the fact that 30 yards down the field it's mano a mano with less help.

If you look at why the Ravens are right there with Pats & all these playoff games come down to the wire it's because Harbaugh attacks them & makes them play on their heels. Flacco has the arm to force them to play a much deeper, larger field. I think Geno has that arm, I'm just not convinced he has the brain? If you look at most of Genos pick sixes MOST are short passes & 1st reads (like that horrible one in Minny).

I'd love to see an offense that tries to exploit the fact that very few NFL defenses have deep secondaries.

Can't wait to see what Chan comes up with. I'm sure it will be an offense that also plays to Pettys strengths since they both came out of spread offenses.

Good post!

[Villain The Foe]

Sunday notes: New York Jets' faith in Geno Smith is unusual, historically speaking

2h

 

The Jets are sticking with Geno Smith despite to seasons of below average play. Al Bello/Getty Images

 

Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer

 

A look at what's going on around the New York Jets:

 

 

1. Third time's a charm? It's not unprecedented for a quarterback like Geno Smith to get another starting nod after two below-average seasons. Look at quarterbacks of his statistical ilk, and you'll see it happens fairly often. But keeping reading because there's a caveat.

 

 

The folks at Football Outsiders did some number crunching and came up with a list of 10 quarterbacks over the last 25 years whose statistical metrics in their first two seasons come closest to Smith's numbers (minimum: 100 attempts). This list isn't flattering toward Smith -- Kyle Boller, Jake Locker, Tim Couch, Rick Mirer, Trent Dilfer, Joey Harrington, Charlie Frye, Billy Joe Tolliver, Steve Walsh and Jake Plummer.

 

 

Basically, they all stunk in their first two seasons, but eight of the 10 -- all except Tolliver and Walsh -- started opening day in Year 3. Ah, but there's more to the story: Seven of the eight were first-round picks, including four in the top-6. The exception was Frye (third round), who got benched in the 2007 opener and never started another game for the Cleveland Browns.

 

 

Obviously, teams are more patient with first-round draft choices because of the money invested. Smith was a second-round pick, so, yeah, what the Jets are doing is outside the box. The new regime is planning to start Smith after two years of play that ranged mostly from poor to uneven. If he succeeds, he'll be bucking a trend.

 

 

2. Follow-up QB thoughts: The Jets' quarterback announcement, which wasn't really an announcement as much as a clarification, has produced some misguided chatter. Allow me to clean up a couple of things.

 

 

No, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey didn't undermine Todd Bowles by proclaiming Smith the starter. In Gailey's mind, he was reiterating what Bowles already had stated on multiple occasions. In reality, though, Bowles wasn't nearly as definitive as Gailey, who skipped the coachspeak and gave a candid answer to a question.

 

 

No, the job doesn't come with a lifetime appointment for Smith. He's like 95 percent of the starting players in the league; if he performs poorly, he'll lose the job. Very few are afforded "untouchable" status, and Smith is a long way from that. But make no mistake, their plan is to go into the season with him behind center.

 

 

 

3. Geno versus Mariota: I wonder if the new coaching staff would feel this confident about Smith if they had drafted Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston. Gailey was asked if he viewed Smith as a better option than Mariota and Winston, and he ducked. I know this: The Jets never were going to pick Mariota at No. 6; he wasn't among the top six on their draft board. Neither was Winston, from what I'm told.

 

 

4. Not wild about the deuce: The general consensus around the league is the longer PAT (32/33 yards) will cause teams to try more two-point plays than in the past, especially in bad weather. I have some advice for the Jets: Practice, practice, practice.

 

 

They're the worst two-point team in the league, and it's not even close for second-worst. Since 2001, the Jets have converted a league-low 27.8 percent -- 10-for-36. Their last successful conversion was 2010.

 

 

More sobering numbers: In Gailey's last coaching gig (Buffalo Bills, 2010-2012), his offense was only 1-for-5 on conversions.

 

 

Bowles said his strategy for PAT versus two-point play will be based on weather and game conditions.

 

 

"I think it will depend on whether you’re playing in Green Bay or Miami," he said. "If it’s 20 below and the wind is swirling, you may be more inclined to go for two. If the weather is nice, you probably kick the extra point. I think once it gets cold, it may factor in more than it factors in early in the season."

 

 

Some good news for the Jets: Kicker Nick Folk is 9-for-9 in his career from 32 and 33 yards. So there's that.

 

 

5. April disagrees with Feely: Former Jets kicker Jay Feely made headlines with his response to the new PAT rule, saying it increases the injury risk. I understand where he's coming from. Because the kick is 13 yards longer than the previous distance, teams will rush more aggressively in an attempt to block the kick. That will lead to more contact, which could lead to more injuries -- in theory.

 

 

Special teams coach Bobby April disgreed with Feely's take, and I'm with April on this one.

 

 

"You wouldn’t want to take contact out of the game," April said. "We’d be playing soccer."

 

 

6. The Zac attack: Zac Stacy created a buzz on draft day when he tweeted "Yikes!" in response to the St. Louis Rams picking running back Todd Gurley. Stacy told me, "It was humorous. I didn't think it would get that reaction." Unbeknownst to many, he reached out to Gurley, congratulating him and wishing him well with the Rams -- a classy gesture.

 

 

You know the rest of the story: Stacy requested a trade and he was dealt to the Jets, where he finds himself in a crowded backfield.

 

 

"It'll be a huge competition," he said. "We all understand what's at stake."

 

 

Stacy said he considers himself an every-down back, and he expects plenty of opportunities.

 

 

"With these guys being third in the league in rushing, I figure they're going to run the ball a little bit," he said. "It gets you licking your chops."

 

 

7. Double vision: One of the early takeaways from watching Bowles' practices is that he likes to split the team and use two fields, which gives reps to more players. That's one of the reasons why he's going with five quarterbacks on the roster. By training camp, he expects to have it down to four. We saw another practice wrinkle last week. Bowles created an offense-versus-defense challenge in a two-minute drill, and the loser (the offense) had to run gassers. The only time I can remember gassers under Rex Ryan was a few years ago in Cortland, where several skirmishes erupted in practice and Ryan made them run penalty sprints.

 

 

8. E-Z pass (defense): Listening to Antonio Cromartie talk about Bowles' defensive scheme makes you think it shouldn't take long for the players to master the nuances of the system.

 

 

"This is by far the simplest defense anybody could play," said Cromartie, who played under Bowles last year in Arizona. "The defense itself is straightforward. If you can't learn this defense, something is wrong with you."

 

 

Cromartie loves the simplicity because it allows the players to play fast. No one ever called Ryan's scheme easy to learn, but the players always said it allowed them to play fast. Here's what I think: If you have fast players, you play fast.

 

 

9. The select two: Only two of the nine undrafted players received signing bonuses -- defensive tackle Davon Wells ($15,000) and safety Durrell Eskridge ($8,500, plus a $5,000 guarantee on his base salary). When a rookie free agent gets a bonus, it usually means there was competition for his services.

 

 

10. Call him Mr. T Bill: Before the 2012 season, then-GM Mike Tannenbaum extended Mark Sanchez's contract even though it had two years to go. Sanchez received a $20.5 million guarantee. Last week, Tannenbaum, now the Miami Dolphins' football czar, extended Ryan Tannehill's contract even though it had two years remaining. It includes $21.5 million in guarantees (which can increase to $45 million). Tannenbaum better hope this works out better than the last one.

Still rather have Geno Starting over Fitz. Geno is still learning the game and his first couple years he was being handled by dopes. Fitz been in the league 10 years and has never won over 6 games in a season...Geno won more than that his rookie year. 

 

The faith in Geno isnt unusual, the reality is that the faith in Fitzpatrick doing more than what he's ever been able to do (win a max of 6 games) is the only thing unusual here. Fitz is the back up, rightfully so. 

[pdxgreen]

While touring Youtube for game footage of Geno to see if I miss something, I was amazed at the people defending him as if he was a lost saint. Did he save a drowning puppy in a Miami Storm drain or something?

[T0mShane]

That's actually pretty horrid. I can understand the hate on Mariota and the worries about him being able to make reads, but to hate on Winston, a guy who is already making reads? If this is true, our qb scouting is god awful.

But with that said, I doubt this is true. Our team was all over Mariota at his pro day. And with Winston we tried to get him into the building for an interview but he couldn't make it.

Meh. Both of them are coin flips who were elevated by a hideously weak market. The fact that our entire staff went to Mariota's pro day, where he embarrassed himself, and still dropped him on their board is telling. Winston in NYC would be a tabloid ****fest of epic proportions.

[T0mShane]

Yes and no. If neither Winston nor Mariota was in their top three then either Fowler or Scherff was.

I'm surprised that Winston wasn't in there (allegedly), and I would have been really annoyed with Scherff, but were I a betting man, I'd wager that both Fowler and Scherff are starting three years from now while Tennessee is still talking about finding the right type of offense to fit Mariota's skill set, same as they did with Locker.

What I appreciate about them not having Mariota and Winston in their top five is that (if true) they didn't hand out any extra credit for being splashy. After a decade of watching Tannenbaum make every decision with Mehta's paternal approval in mind, it's refreshing.

[Jetster]

While touring Youtube for game footage of Geno to see if I miss something, I was amazed at the people defending him as if he was a lost saint. Did he save a drowning puppy in a Miami Storm drain or something?

No one has defended his off the field miscues (the plane incident) or his being late for a meeting in San Diego, or sending pictures of his junk around, or giving Jet fans the finger.

All anyone is saying is he's all we got,lol.

Fitz is a journeyman, who if you look more closely into his recent pass has a penchant to throw picks in the worst situation like every other backup in this league.

If we are to make any noise in this division it's with Geno at QB. The minute Fitzy has to step in at QB to save us we'll be immediately looking towards the future & whether Bryce Petty can be our savior.

[Snell41]

You blame ISIS on Rex..LOL First Rex pays no attention to offense and now he's totally responsible??

These are not mutually exclusive you know. The fact that Rex was oblivious to his offense and had absolutely zero clue about who to staff of who to employ on that side, nor the strategy of leading his team when his offense was on the field places quite a bit of the responsibility of the ineptitude on that side of the ball.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[keysersoze]

I'm surprised that Winston wasn't in there (allegedly), and I would have been really annoyed with Scherff, but were I a betting man, I'd wager that both Fowler and Scherff are starting three years from now while Tennessee is still talking about finding the right type of offense to fit Mariota's skill set, same as they did with Locker.

What I appreciate about them not having Mariota and Winston in their top five is that (if true) they didn't hand out any extra credit for being splashy. After a decade of watching Tannenbaum make every decision with Mehta's paternal approval in mind, it's refreshing.

lol GIVE ME A BREAK. You seriously, honestly believe that the media plays a role in who the Jets draft?

[drdetroit]

Cimini is such a boring Debbie downer.

[#27TheDominator]

What does starting Geno have to do with faith?  Does anybody believe they are starting him, but have faith that he will succeed?  Lesser of five evils.

[Jetsfan80]

Yup, Rex ****ed us. As much as I like Williams, and am satisfied with the outcome, this team needs a qb bad.

 

Rex f*cked us in the sense that every one of our draft picks would have been earlier.  Our overall draft might have ended up a good bit different as a result.  But I still would have preferred Leonard Williams to the two QB's.  I don't think we're fully recognizing how stupid lucky we got by Williams falling to us.  A 20-year old DT who has already shown flashes of dominance at the college level?  Those pretty much don't exist.  The most elite of several elite prospects in the 2015 draft class. 

 

The Jaguars or Redskins should have Williams on their team right now but were too stupid to pull the trigger.  Fowler's injury has nothing to do with that either.  I would have been happy with Fowler at 6 if the Jaguars had taken Williams instead. 

 

It's hard to justify to a fan base why you wouldn't take a QB top 2 when a QB is your biggest need, so maybe Macc would have taken a QB had we been picking up there.  Sure, they did say that neither QB was in their top 5 or whatever, but there's no way to know for sure that that is the truth.  Personally I'm glad we weren't picking there in the 1st round when all was said and done.

[drdetroit]

What does starting Geno have to do with faith? Does anybody believe they are starting him, but have faith that he will succeed? Lesser of five evils.

Cimini thinks we should show faith in Petty clearly.

[Lizard King]

I'm surprised that Winston wasn't in there (allegedly), and I would have been really annoyed with Scherff, but were I a betting man, I'd wager that both Fowler and Scherff are starting three years from now while Tennessee is still talking about finding the right type of offense to fit Mariota's skill set, same as they did with Locker.

What I appreciate about them not having Mariota and Winston in their top five is that (if true) they didn't hand out any extra credit for being splashy. After a decade of watching Tannenbaum make every decision with Mehta's paternal approval in mind, it's refreshing.

If they didn't have Winston in their top three, I would call it horrifying before I called it refreshing. But then, let's not jump to conclusions.