Wrong. Vinny T was the backup to Glenn Foley who started the 1998 season and got hurt. Pennington never won the starting job on the NY Jets. Vinny T played himself out of the starting job in Pennington's 3rd year. You might not remember but Matt Robinson had won the QB job in TC and got hurt which lead to Todd becoming the starter.
If you think Testaverde wasn't brought here to start youre kidding yourself. Pennington was also drafted to be the starter, just not in his rookie season.
Vinny T and Chad were 1st round picks. Vinny didn't take the same road to QB of the Jets that most former 1st round picks do but he had played well in other places before 1998. I'm not going to tear Matt Simms down again because there's no point in doing that. I will say that any team against which Simms would perform well Geno would perform better and against the tough defenses they're both going to get killed this year. That's just what it is.
He didn't start until Glen got injured. You're wrong. Pennington was drafted to start but never won the job. The new HC didn't draft him and didn't start him. Vinny played himself out of a job. Chad was in year 3 and couldn't get a start.
Testaverde was brought here because the organization didn't have true faith in Foley as a starting QB. They fully expected that Vinny would be the starter.
Foley started the 98 season and threw for over 400 yards in an OT loss against the Steve Young 49ers in his first game. He got hurt and that's how Vinny became the starter. Vinny was signed to be the backup. Parcells hated O'Donnell and that's how Foley became the starter. When they dumped O'Donnell Vinny was brought in to be Foley's backup.
This is true but when Vinny was brought to the Jets it was understood that he'd have a chance to be a starter. Foley was the starter, you are correct but the organization was not sold on him as the starter and Testaverde was brought here with the thinking he would eventually take over. This is really a moot point anyway because Vinny was an established starter in the league when brought here, not a back up like the others I originally mentioned( with exception to Tebow). My point is, the back up QB is always looked upon as a star on a team with shaky starting QB play. Simms isn't better then Geno, end of story.
While Chadwick may have been drafted with the hope he would be the starter, you are correct that the Edwards regime not only was not in on that pick but gave every indication it was not about to start Chad, until VT showed he no longer had it. It's been a long time since I had reason to post an anti-Chad post, but imo he never lived up to his draft pick status. Giving him his due he did well in his comeback years. But he never had all the NFL Qb throws, and overall could not stay on the field enough. He was incapable of leading the team back from a deficit of more than one score with 20 minutes or less in the game. Which is another way of saying he could not run the hurry up or two minute and score with it. Of course he was better than Sanchez, and Smith may prove to not be as good as well. So the Chad Fans can take solace in that, I guess.
Again wrong. Vinny was on the Baltimore Ravens roster and wasn't cut until June 24th of 1998. Parcells hated O'Donnell and he was our backup up until the day Vinny was cut and signed by the Jets. The Jets had no idea if Vinny T would even be available to us in 1998. The Jets had every intention of going into the season with Glenn as the starter. Vinny fell into our laps and it allowed Parcells to cut O'Donnell. Vinny was an aging QB who was cut outright. The Jets had an injury prone starter and a backup that Parcells hated. Vinny was brought in for 2 reasons. One it gave Parcells the opportunity to get O'Donnell off the Jets and two he needed a vet backup if Glenn went down.
I liked Foley, he had balls. One of my favorite quotes of his when he was at BC, before the Rutgers game, some reporter in the pregame locker room mentioned that Rutgers might be going to a bowl game that year. Foley looked up at the guy and said "the only Bowl Rutgers is going to is the one I just got off of." And that was BEFORE the game. :grin: _
Yes they had the intention of having Foley start but they were not sold on him as a long term answer at that position. Yes Parcells hated O' Donnel but Vinny came here as possible starter, albeit insurance policy in case Foley faltered. Again, my point wasn't weather Vinny was brought here to start, he was an established QB and not in the same category as the others mentioned, but I think we'll have to agree to disagree.
Vinny was cut outright he came here because it was close to his house and it was a job. He was not brought here to start. It worked out great but it's not like he had tons of options and came here because he was going to start. That's simply not the case. Granted after he was signed and in camp they were shocked at how good he threw the ball. Sort of like Simms shocked us when he actually got a chance to play. Now granted Geno isn't an injury prone QB but if he goes down no reason not to enjoy what could be very good results.
Your analogy is absurd. Vinny had started and had success as a starter on other NFL teams. He was a blue-chip prospect out of college with huge size and arm. Vinny was brought in as someone who could start and do it competently in the event that Foley struggled or got hurt. Vinny didn't shock anyone by throwing well in camp, he simply showed why other NFL teams had started him in the past and why he had enjoyed some success. Simms shocked only those who would buy into a QB's play against 3rd and 4th stringers in preseason. He certainly didn't shock anyone when he came in against the Bengals backups. He didn't light it up with his arm. And that was against the Bengals backups. Simms is a myth based on nothing tangible (in college or the pros). That's why he is rightfully compared to other myths like Ratliff and other backup preseason "all-star QBs" the Jets have had. Vinny was a known, valuable commodity (in college and the pros). How does this thread even exist?
Sure sounds like Simms makes you nervous for some reason. And no, Vinny came to the Jets after being cut outright. No one else thought he was still starter material, and the Jets did not start him right away, either. He did not start the season, and it was because injuries led to Foley's poor performance that Vinny began starting. Sure he showed he could still play, and the relocation to the Jets rejuvenated his career, at least until it didn't. But it is technicallly incorrect to say the Jets brought him in to start. They brought him in to backup Glenn Foley. THis should not be this difficult.
I don't think Simms has proven anything. He has a real good arm, a great release and he seems to move well. He sets up pretty well also. MM and Rex liked him enough that he made the squad in spite of having a crappy college career. The few times he has seen any action he has looked real good. If Geno is having a bad day I don't see any reason he shouldn't sit down. It might be good for Geno and it might be good for Simms. It even might be real good for the NY Jets. By the way Vinny was 35 and was cut for essentially a stop gap over the hill qb in Harbaugh. Vinny had his career year in 06 and declined dramatically in 07. He was viewed as being washed up by Baltimore.
I would say Simms has proven very little, but not more than that. But this kind of thing: Simms shocked only those who would buy into a QB's play against 3rd and 4th stringers in preseason. He certainly didn't shock anyone when he came in against the Bengals backups. He didn't light it up with his arm. And that was against the Bengals backups. Simms is a myth based on nothing tangible (in college or the pros). That's why he is rightfully compared to other myths like Ratliff and other backup preseason "all-star QBs" the Jets have had. Vinny was a known, valuable commodity (in college and the pros). How does this thread even exist? Is over the top. Who said anything about Simms being a mythical figure??? And the thing about his pre-season play was that he was playing with 3rd and 4th stringers on his team, too. In the Bengals game he showed poise, threw a pass to Nelson that I think he should have caught, and did not turn the ball over. Did he light it up? No. But neither had Smith. And while there is something to the notion that some fans have the backup Qb as their favorite player no matter who that person is or was, there have in fact been several times when the backup Qb got in there and performed well. And look around the league. it's not like the guy who starts the season at Qb has a lock on it, and not only due to injury. It's not so weird to see what your backup Qb can do. It's not like there's some rule or something against it. That's all I am saying.
Geez maybe few remember how a guy with a major drug problem in Quincy Carter went 2-1 as a starter in a backup role. It's not like everybody who is a backup has no more talent than the ball boy.
