I don't think this is true though. I think Geno has to have the Jets excited about his prospects for 2014 to win the job. If he does that there's nothing Vick can do to take the job. I think if Geno has a mediocre off-season and camp Vick is going to be the QB at the start of the season. The Jets aren't going to let the QB hold them back again next season the way the position has done over the last few. If it's a question of basic competence Vick is going to get the nod because he meets that bar easily. If both QB's look bad again, well yeah then Geno may well "win" that competition like he did last year and for the same reasons. When your choice is between older and bad and younger and bad you pick the younger guy, he at least has the prospects of playing up some and establishing a different ceiling.
Try reading and thinking before you post. I was focusing on whether there would be a Qb controversy. I would tend to agree if there is at most a marginal difference between the two's performance, Smith would probably get the nod. But if the perception of the players differs on that, and Smith starts anyway.... Get it?
We all know that Vick is no long term answer, due to his age and injury history. But that is not the metric for the long term with Smith. The metric is whether the Jets need to go elsewhere to improve the Qb situation next off season. By that metric, I think it more likely than not that the Jets do go elsewhere next off season.
I just think with the situation that Geno was put in last year having literally no help and still going 8-8, you are sort of obligated to give him the nod now that we have some weapons. I know Idzik wan'ts to see what Geno can do as he was his pick, and adding Decker, Amaro, and CJ2K to the fold, gives Geno some serious pieces to work with. Would hate to see Vick play for 10 games, Geno comes in for 6 and then we don't know if we should draft a QB or not in 2015 because we haven't seen enough play from Geno.
Which is exactly why Geno should play from Day 1. We need to see what we have or else it will be a wasted year. We finally added some talent to this offense, lets see what the kid can do with it.
Right so the players don't get that if there is a slight difference in performance that Geno would start? They don't understand that the only way Geno doesn't start is if Geno shits the bed in training camp and preseason? Everybody is on the same page. Cumberland has said it, Nelson has said it, Colon has said it, Vick has said it, Geno has said it. There is no controversy. Maybe you and the NY sports media want one.
Ok, so lets clarify here to see if I can understand your position. 1. If Vick is better than Geno in camp but Geno is also good and gets the nod, you think: a) possible controversy b) not likely to have controversy 2. If Vick is better than Geno in camp but both are mediocre and Geno gets the nod, you think: a) possible controversy b) not likely to have controversy 3. If Vick is better than Geno in camp but both are bad and Geno gets the nod, you think: a) possible controversy b) not likely to have controversy ? My opinion is that a lot of the players went to war with Geno last year and if they see him getting better he's probably going to be their choice. If they don't see him getting better they're going to want Vick instead. I just don't see where it gets any more complicated than that.
Vick may not have fans in the media or a good relationship with many fans, but players in the league respect him a lot. If he's the better player in camp and the organization chooses to start Geno Smith, I could see a lot of players being pissed off.
I don't think the Jets are obligated to give Geno anything this year. He had 16 games last year to make his case and while the help he was given was minimal he didn't make any kind of clear case to be the starting QB moving forward. I do think it's in the Jets best interests to give Geno the job over Vick if he clearly earns it. If he meets the Jets expectations over the off-season it would be silly to hand the reins over to a 34 year old QB on a 1-year contract when the Jets have a 24 year old QB under contract until 2016 at least.
I think the last 4 games, albeit not against the greatest teams, gave us a glimpse of his progression. He seemed like he was making his reads better, seemed more comfortable in the pocket, making better decisions etc... It takes guys time especially at QB to really excel. The game seems like it is starting to slow down for him now and that excites me. If he completely screws up in the preseason then absolutely give the ball to Vick..
I think you're seeing things unlikely to occur. This is a very young team the Jets are fielding right now. The Jets have 60 players on their roster right now who are 25 or younger. They only have 15 players on the roster who are 28 or older. This is not a veteran team that has watched Mike Vick play in the NFL wars over the last decade. One thing to remember is that young players don't get pissed off about any personnel slot other than their own. They don't have the time in the league to build up any entitlement over how things should be run. That comes later and by then they're on the edge of extinction anyway. Only a few star players around the NFL actually have any say at all in who plays for their team and even that's not written in ink. Do you think Tom Brady has been happy with his receiving options the last few seasons?
If Vick looks good in the preseason and Geno looks mediocre Vick is going to be the QB opening day. I think you can book that one.
No but they've watched Vick play from their living rooms growing up and for many of them he is probably one of their idols on the field. Couple that with players who generally are going to hate watching a guy play over a more deserving player in any regard and I could see it rubbing many people the wrong way. I don't understand how you would think any of these players would go to bat for Geno Smith. I see just the opposite. I could see players going to bat for Vick even if he does look worse in camp! But I especially don't see any of the players going to bat for Geno if Vick looks better in camp, yet Geno is progressing that's crazy talk. They are players not General Managers, they could give a rats ass about player development - they want to WIN
I just don't see many players on the Jets who are going to make waves about who the QB is as long as the decision is made within reasonable constraints. If Geno sucks and the Jets start him over Mike Vick, well then yes it's going to be a problem in the locker room. I happen to think Geno has to play well to get the job given who his opposition is so I'm thinking the odds on a QB controversy on the Jets is almost nil. If Geno is playing well nobody is going to be able to make an argument for Vick instead. This isn't Peyton Manning or Tom Brady we're talking about, it's Michael Vick. Look at who the wavemakers were in 2011: Derrick Mason, Santonio Holmes, Plax (maybe), Bart Scott (probably not but it was implied at times). Any of those guys still around? Look at who the Jets vets are now: Nick Mangold, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, David Harris, Willie Colon, Dawan Landry, Antwan Barnes, Brent Giacomini, Eric Decker, etc. Do you see any likely wavemakers there? The reason the long-term Jets are long-term Jets and have survived a coaching change and a GM change is that they're good players who don't make waves.
I don't know if they are going to make waves or not, but you kind of changed what you were arguing. It's not always about making waves vocally either. Players could be good soldiers on a daily basis yet simply respond better on the field with a Michael Vick, especially younger players. It also is counter-intuitive for an organization preaching competition to have a faux-competition where the younger player starts at the most important position because he is progressing, but not necessarily better. That could ruffle some feathers is all I'm saying.
Again, it is not necessary to play Smith to assess where he is. Yes, you get more info by playing him. But playing him is not necessary, and they will not if doing so amounts to sacrificing the season to reach a conclusion that some including myself think is more likely than not the case already.
Too funny. Why would I want a controversy? Rough start to the week for you. I hope you get your balance soon.
