It should also be noted that a lot of teams weren't looking for QBs because of offseason FA moves. While I don't think a lot of those teams have their answer at QB now, it is what it is. I've enjoyed reading a lot of the comments on here and I really think your draft and FA moves were extremely solid. I've seen a lot of fans on here talk about the rebuilding process with your new GM, and to be able to get prospects that could be immediate starters in the secondary, on the DL, and on the OL, as well as your QB of the future and most likely your starting RB through FA says a lot about the quality decisions being made now.
Great information. I think people generally worry about the holes at safety, wide receiver and tight end that continue to be there. But having a QB better than Sanchez would hopefully make the offense at least serviceable. I think Chris Ivory and Mike Goodson should be a very good complement to each other. Having Colon and maybe Winters on the offensive line should help the run game. Maybe this team ends up like 2009 with top defense, top run game and this time around hopefully better QB play. That year the Jets were lacking at receiver as well before they were able to trade for Braylon week 3. Who will be this years Braylon?
He is the one player that HAS to step up. He needs to live up to his draft position and help Geno out. If Geno is to be successful, Holmes, Kerley and Hill are going to have to play full seasons and be much better than last year.
Very good few posts. Agree with everything you've said. Few more thing I'd like to point out- I think everyone is overstating the "oh, Geno didnt read sideline to sideline that much at WVU". There's two things here: first, Geno was playing with two receivers who could pretty much get open on a consistent basis so of course he had a tendency to wait for them to get open. Ive also seen multiple times where he has gone through his reads quickly, sideline to sideline. Not many QBs coming out of college are asked to do so now. Also, I think this is huge with Geno- Marty Mornhinweg helped Michael Vick have career years as a passer, a player who was highly criticized in his ability to read a defense. MM essentially cut the field in half for Vick, making going through his reads much easier. Now, I dont think Geno will need this, but it could certainly helps his adjustment to the NFL. If he starts, you could do something similar to what you did with Vick, and as he learns and adjusts to the speed, you start to open up the field more.
I think it will be a tight end rather than a WR, we're really a solid TE from having a very good offense, potentially
I think Brent Celek could be a guy to look out for via trade or if he's cut. I wish we had signed James Casey in the offseason. He was had for really cheap, and he's a solid dependable player.
You really do have most of the pieces in place. I think your leadership in the FO has gotten better. If you can have a solid draft in 2014 at the WR, TE, and safety positions, the team would be solid across the board. I really want to see Geno succeed because he's a high character guy that has taken a lot of unfair criticism in the media. He wants to succeed and win so badly and a lot of his actions that have been misinterpreted are because of that. He's given Mountaineer fans a lot of great memories and I hope he does the same for Jets fans. I think the criticism will only push him to work that much harder to succeed.
They just drafted Ertz in the 2nd, signed James Casey in the offseason and Celek is getting paid more than they would probably like.
For people attacking Geno's character....read this gesture that he did for instance upon him being LOYAL, and GRATEFUL. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/14/geno-smith-is-bringing-stedman-bailey-to-the-draft/ Geno owed Bailey nothing really...he could have said "Sorry man" in regards to bringing him to NYC to experience everything but because he realized Bailey was a huge part to where he is today(And vice versa) and because they were like brothers for a long time, he paid out of his own wallet to take care of Bailey and to bring him to the NFL Draft to experience a one in a life time experience.
Geno didn't ask nor was it his fault Holgorsen came in 2011 during his Junior year and instilled that offense. Sophomore year he had very good numbers when not in that offense. I think its a silly misconception when people label him as an air raid QB when he didn't play his whole collegiate career in that offense.
The main thing is that he wasn't recruited to play in the Air Raid. Air Raid QB's have often had subpar arms because the offense doesn't demand a lot of contested throws. WVU's Air Raid had the luxury of having a QB with a good arm and one who was not afraid to throw into traffic or make a contested throw up the seams. This is the one of the many reasons that Geno Smith is likely to turn out better than other Air Raid QB's before him.
WVU was pathetic this year. Geno was a Heisman candidate at the beginning of the season, started 5-0 and then completely collapsed and lost 5 in a row. Then looked terrible playing in winter conditions in NY, losing a bowl game in a blowout. That was against Big 12 teams in a down year for the conference. That is why I have concerns about him.
Its tough to put him down for those losses...the defense was awful and gave up nearly 40 PPG. I can't disagree with the winter conditions in NY but neither he or Nassib lit the world up and both of those guys are now NY NFL QBs(Geno has a bigger future because of Eli Manning of course). Also Geno wasn't AWFUL....he had some gaffs like getting hit for safeties and lost a fumble(Which happens in that weather even to NFL QBs). He had almost 200 yards passing and 2 TDs and went 16/24. Its not lighting the world on fire by any means but I think people overexgerrate that game and its just ONE game. I don't think he should come under fire for one bad snow game...he will have some opportunities to show himself in these cold, frigid games soon enough. He actually outperformed Nassib in yards, no INTs and better completion percentage but Nassib had a dynamic running game that again ran through WVU's piss poor D so his team won and not as much was asked of Nassib as opposed to Geno Smith. Gulley, the Cuse RB finished with 208 rushing yards on 25 carries and had 5 catches for 56 yards....there's absolutely nothing Geno Smith can do about that. The other Cuse RB, Jerome Smith had 157 rushing yards so the WVU D almost gave up 400 rushing yards....... http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/12/29/syracuse-runs-all-over-wvu-in-pinstripe-bowl/
How come I got this funny feeling Drew Rosenhaus's phone is ringing and at the other end of it is Geno Smith.
Bingo. If anything the offense may not have utilized some of his tools like not requiring him to throw deep or throw intermediate passes 10+ yards but rather dink/dunk and throw bubble screens. He did what was asked out of the offense and to help the team.
So you're worried about Geno because our defense lost our two top pash rushers from the year before (one was a top 15 draft pick) in a pass-heavy league and didn't yet have the quality depth on defense needed in the Big 12, yet our offense put up incredible numbers? Also, during two of the toughest games of the season Stedman Bailey was hurt and teams were keying on Tavon.
The offense looked really bad in half of those games. They were flat out blowouts. The only loss that was acceptable to me was Oklahoma. That game was not on Geno. They played great actually.