Geno gets the Bad News
Someone finally broke the cycle. After months of back and forth, either Fitz caved or the Jets did. From the contract offer, looks like Fitzy did, as this is the same contract offered earlier this year but with slightly less. The Geno Smith era must continue to wait.
I’m torn on whether I think this is good for the Jets or not. On one hand, I have little to no faith in Geno Smith. The past few months of deadlock started to warp the minds of Jets fans into thinking Geno was the answer all along. I saw all sorts of rationalization going on. Geno was beating Fitz out in camp last season! Geno didn’t have any weapons his one full year, maybe he can work with the Jets roster now! Fitz is actually overrated! I only agree with one of those things, and it’s that Fitz is overrated.
The reports that Geno was beating Fitz out in camp last year I take with heavy salt. First off, training camp “reports” are pretty much bogus. It’s the one time of the year when everything is ridiculously positive. Everybody “Looks great” and everyone is “Excited to see these players in real action”, yadda yadda yadda. It’s a time of hype. Beat writers don’t want to depress the fans. Teams hide their flaws to better project the image, and the media at large isn’t interested enough yet to start doing the usual negative crap. Also, Fitz was brought onto the Jets last season as a second option. Geno was understood as the future. Of course they are gonna want to boost Geno, at least until he broke his jaw. For a guy who was “beat out” in camp, the Jets had a pretty easy time keeping Fitz the starter even as Geno came back healthy.
It’s true Geno didn’t have much to work with his first year. It didn’t stop him from being possibly the worst starter in the league. His second year he had Erik Decker, but a lame duck coach and poor play resulted in his benching several times. Last year he got punched in the face. So it’s true Geno hasn’t been put in the best position to succeed, but outside one game against the dumb Dolphins, he also hasn’t shown he can be much more than a perpetual backup. This is a win now league, the sport no longer has the patience to develop iffy players like Smith. Players who might be good if put in the exact right scenario, scenarios that require time and patience that owners and fans no longer have. Geno needs to be at the level of a Tannehill to get genuine development time, and he’s not there. Honestly it’s the same reason Tebow washed out. Tebow needed time, Tebow needed the right team built around him to enhance his positives. The NFL doesn’t offer that time, and he wasn’t good enough at current football in the interim to justify the investment. It sucks, but them’s the breaks. I believe every player can succeed and excel if given the right situation. But for the most part, it’s not worth the effort, and a player who can excel in multiple situations is inherently more valuable.
The bummer part for the Jets is that Fitz really isn’t that much of an upgrade. He’s a better QB. He’s smarter. He’s got better facial hair. But he’s never led a team to the playoffs. He’s never flourished under countless chances as being a long term”the Man”. Fitz’s career is a disturbing cycle, and soon the Jets may find out he sucks. So was it a good idea to drop Fitz, the best QB option they have, and hope Geno somehow puts it all together? Or roll it and hope Fitz can build off his chemistry? I think a one year deal is a good move for the Jets. Fitz can’t be comfortable, but he will have a chance to take this stacked roster to playoff contention.
I feel like Geno’s going to get a chance to start somewhere down the road, but never in New York. Fitz is almost definitely the starter this year, and given the nightmare his Jets career has been, I doubt he’ll stay once his contract is up after this season.
Unless Fitz gets hurt, Geno’s done in New York. Hackenberg is the QB of the future, as A. he was brought in by the current regime whereas Geno’s a leftover from the Ryan era, and B. he has arguably a higher ceiling in terms of being a classic pocket passer if your coach can do whatever Bill O’Brien did to get him to not suck.
It’ll be interesting to see how he does with a change of scenery. Assuming Fitzpatrick stays healthy, it’ll be over two years between his last start and his next start. He was pretty bad in his first two years, but he improved in every regard in year two, especially in cutting down turnovers. I don’t feel like you can put the majority of blame for the 3-13 record on him either, given the veritable dumpster fire that was Rex’s last season as a Jet. Given the improvement in year two, the reports about how good he looked in training camp until Enemkpali decked him last year, the ridiculous pressure he was under – over 70 sacks in two years – and the fact that West Virginia’s offense isn’t exactly one that prepares a quarterback for the pros, I think he deserves a chance to prove he belongs. He’s not going to be expensive, he deserves a chance to try and grab a starting job like Tyrod Taylor did last year in Buffalo. I don’t know if he’ll actually win a job, but he at least deserves a chance.
Definitely. Yo Gabba Gabbert got a second chance. Geno at least deserves that much too.
Doesn’t matter who starts imo
The first six weeks they have a Red Ryder BB Gun, Unsexy Rexy, the Walrus, Willy Wonka, the Burgh, and the Birds that don’t suck. Oh, they also play the Pats twice, Unsexy Rexy again, the Ravens and Colts coming off of surprisingly bad seasons, and a Rams team that has to win at least one non-division game to meet their season total.
1 year $12 million isn’t bad if he sucks
It looks more like it was the Jets who caved. They were offering him a three year contract with 8 million average per, 12 million in the first year. Fitz’s counteroffer was a 12 million deal for one year. He got that plus another 3 million in incentives. That’s not “slight less”.
did you have this drawn up before it happened? Seems kinda quick
Nope, was up till 12:30 finishing it
One thing that gets overlooked is that the Jets had no backup QB this year without Fitz; just one big hit to Geno could have totally ended the Jets season, so this signing was necessary to keep some hope. Also nobody mentions the systems; the short passing game the Jets tried in Geno’s last season starting was based on quick decision making and precision, and with no RB to serve as an outlet, which played to Geno’s greatest weaknesses. On the contrary, Chan Gailey’s wide open, deep ball style plays to Geno’s strengths. I want to seem him get a shot at it.
Jets just drafted ‘hack-a-shaq’enburg
Only one box worth of “Jets mistakes?”
The rest is in the filing cabinets behind Todd
I’d hate to see the Browns mistakes. Might rival the Library of Congress in size.
It’s the appendix
That’s just this regime’s records. There’s a whole room for the Rex Ryan era’s mistakes.
I think it would’ve been good for them to start Geno. As is they have Fitz for a year so he’s not a long term option, but if you start Geno and he’s good you have him, if he’s not you tank and you get stop wondering how he’s developing.
In Geno’s defence, he isn’t a pitcher
Ball 4, take your base
I have this theory
I call it “Schrodinger’s Early Pick QB”
You draft a QB of dubious value who doesn’t match up to your current system and personnel, he might be great, he might be horrible. But if you can keep from starting him and keep an aging journeyman in front of him, you can still claim to have a competent back office in the press and no one can truly challenge you until you start him, as until that point he is both “A developing asset” and the “Future of the franchise”
Arena Football Geno Smith the linebacker just ended his regular season at 6-4 after starting 5-0 as the Cleveland Gladiators end the regular season at 7-9 and will head to 7-8 LA (who travels to play 2-13 Portland this week) next week in the national 2 vs.3 game foe
Actually, that game will be in San Diego, and I’ll be attending.