How the 'competition' really shook out

The main point isn't crazy if I'm reading this correctly:
Start Geno, and keep Simms and have him developing for the future. This isn't crazy, this is probably what the Jets are going to do.

I think the craziness is trading Geno if he's a good QB to start in your scenario what still be an unknown in Simms who couldn't impress the coaches enough in 2014/2015 to supplant Geno as starting QB.

I also disagree the competition was "rigged". I think Rex was upset that no QB was winning, just the QBs were all losing and he would have to go with the best bad QB. I think Sanchez would have started if healthy.

 

While I agree, the issue is that the head coach is trying to win as many games as possible. Putting Geno out there will probably not be as optimal as Sanchez at this moment.

Unless Rex knows something we don't (that his job is safe if he is Idziks bitch).

 

Okay, then yeah it's a sound plan, nothing too crazy.

The thing with Alex Smith are you talking post Harbaugh Smith numbers or pre Harbaugh?

I think Rex thought Sanchez and/or Geno would excel and grab the job, probably more so Sanchez b/c of experience. Instead he got turnovers and poor decision making

 

I don't like getting rid of Geno then. He would be a young QB who while isn't throwing for a lot of TDs, knows how to protect the football. I would hang onto Geno and wouldn't trade him in this hypothetically until Simms actually starts for the Jets.

 

If Smith came in and was decent against the Giants 1 TD/I INT led the team to 17pts in 3 quarters you could have said that was good enough for him to start, but he shit the bed. Having a nice camp, being a solid practice players, is nice to see, but even Rex called his performance recently brutal. Smith is still saying his ankle isn't 100%. So now you are forced to start Smith, he has what under 50 snaps, a bad ankle, and showed no reason to believe he can lead this offense to points without 50 yards in penalties.

Sanchez had the job won before his shoulder injury.

 

Smith is a 2nd round pick -- he doesn't cost much. Not like he costs $8million a year to keep on the roster. I see him as a career backup., Question is will he be bad enough to allow the Jets to get a Bridgewater to replace him next year?

 

Not sure why you quoted me, my response was in response to a hypothetical scenario of the Geno being a serviceable QB.

If the Jets suck enough to get a QB next draft, they need to pull the trigger. I don't think they'll suck enough regardless of QB to get a top pick for a QB.

 

Yeah neither do i -- i think they win at worst 5 and have a pick in the 5-8 range.

 

Just reread what you wrote- "matt simms performance against the Eagles may have threw a wrench in the organizations idea of perhaps Geno being the future".... Maybe its just me, but it sounds crazy that a performance during the FOURTH preseason game could effect that much in the organizations eyes. I just don't see it. Simms won the 3rd string job, thats it imo. Unless Geno blows I dont see much changing because of that game.

 

Interesting...It is a sound plan...there is one problem. You are assuming that Simms is going to want to sign a low contract and sit. I'm sure his dad is in his ear and there are options if he simply rides out this year at number 3. Just another option/opinion.

Laxin, I'm telling you my man...Simms proved a whole hell of a lot in that Eagles game. I'm surprised you don't see it. It absolutely helps his stock. trust me.

 

Except the competition does matter. He played against 3s and we shouldn't have any expectations until we see him against the 1s. That's not gonna happen unless Geno gets seriously injured, however.

 

This is what I believe happened.

The Jets original plan was to start David Garrard and then work in Geno Smith with Smith probably arriving about the bye. This was a classic sign a vet to hold the job until the rookie was ready move.

Then Garrard retired, which was pretty predictable based on his last couple of seasons. The plan was no longer viable.

The Jets would have cut Mark Sanchez if Garrard was good to go. They had no reps to give a starting QB, a well-groomed rookie and last year's incumbent. Sanchez probably goes out the door just before camp opens, at the point that Geno finally signed his contract.

However with Garrard out of the picture the Jets had no veteran competition for Geno and nobody they were comfortable starting the season with either. This resulted in Sanchez being retained for camp to provide a benchmark for Geno and if Geno was just not ready to go maybe even the default starter at the beginning of the season.

Then Sanchez began to do things that reminded the Jets of why they were getting rid of him in the first place. His pick-6, red zone int and bad-decision making on a couple of other drives likely cost him the default starting QB position despite him potentially being a slightly better option than a raw rookie to start the season.

So the Jets leaned towards Geno Smith even more heavily than they otherwise might have. Even with the ankle problem. Even with the rocky game against the Giants. Geno was probably going to be a controversial opening-day choice from the moment Sanchez threw the pick-6 against Detroit.

Then Sanchez got hurt and gave the Jets a bye on the decision, one that they grabbed with both hands and held on to.

Matt Simms camp performance was actually pretty good. He won the 3rd QB job, a job he had little or no chance of securing going into camp. He may well be the Jets backup QB for a couple of seasons at this point, assuming Geno does well enough to prevent the Jets from having to draft another QB in the 1st or 2nd in 2014. He never had a shot at starting this year barring an unlikely series of injuries in front of him.

The Jets are going to roll with Geno out of the gate and hope they do not have to look back. They'll probably modify the game plan slightly to help him if things get shaky in the first couple of games. We might see a Pistol flair in the offense alongside the Wildcat and the normal WCO used less than you'd expect.

Then if the Jets get deeper into the season and Geno is having a Blaine Gabbert type rookie year we might see other options begin to open up. By Blaine Gabbert type season I mean a season that does not offer much hope that the player is going to develop into a star-caliber player down the road.

I do not believe that Jets will attempt to develop Geno Smith on the long plan. He's either going to look good enough at some point this year that they want to draft play makers to further develop the offense or he's going to look flat in which case the Jets are likely to relegate him to depth and competition for the guy they pick next year.

 

He proved to me that he has progressed since college, but you can't ignore his history of unremarkable, poor play.

Just look at his college stats: http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/stats/_/id/238915/matt-simms

One game doesn't change much. Consistency matters way more than potential. (See: Matt Flynn)

 

Yeah, Matt Flynn threw 6 TD passes in one of his two NFL starts and has not had another NFL start since then.

People don't realize how the QB position works in the NFL. Very few people who are not high picks ever get a chance to start regularly at the NFL level. This is not because of investment level, it's because if you're a good NFL QB the odd are tremendous that you were picked in first couple of rounds.

There is not a single GM out there who would pass over starting a potentially great QB because of his draft position. There are almost no potentially great QB's out there with that low position.

 

I don't care what someone's stats used to be. Simms is playing better than Geno or Sanchez. That's what matters. The here and now.

 

Actually, in that it was only against 3's and it didn't matter, you are wrong.

A) it was against the Eagles 2nd strong mostly with the 3rd string coming later in the game. I wish people would GET that...whatever...

B) every snap matters. They are still players of being "looked" at as NFL caliber. They are still trying to knock your block off.

Let me address this Eagles game. I'm about tired of Simms being penalized because he played against a team's 2nd string. Let's get one thing perfectly straight...there are ONLY 22 "first string" players on any one NFL football team. The remainder of the 49 that dress are 2nd stringers! Minus the three that are the long snapper, kicker and punter of course. There are MORE 2nd stringers on your team than 1's. Most teams rotate their guys in and out...keeps them fresh...so...there you go. On a scale of 1 - 10, and your 1st string "talent" being a 10 most of your second string guys are between a 7 and 9.

If you want to debate that the Eagles were running a vanilla offense/defense...that's a topic we can debate. But let's not for one minute demean the talent level of the "2nd string" guys...

 

Here's to hoping, I have my fingers crossed. Is an ACL tear too much to ask for?