LOVE that Hindsight Let's be serious, you didn't know jack shit about Joe Flacco prior to the draft. Flacco has been up and down most of the time - his playoff performances before the SB were shit and I bet you would have given up on him. He was drafted at 18 for a reason. Highest drafted player ever from the University of Delaware. But I'm sure you already knew how good he was going to be just like the 17 teams prior.
Yeah, it was a bit of a cherrypick but FWIW he still turned out better than Vernon "Super-Bust" Gholston... every _single_ year they were both in the NFL But that's not really my point. At this juncture, we _have_ to pick high and we _have_ to pick a QB. Go and get the guy. Even if he turns into a bust. What's the absolute worst thing that could happen? JaMarcus Russell? Ryan Leaf? Would the Jets with either of those guys be demonstrably worse than with Geno? Even if we cash in picks to get Mariota or Winston and he turns into RGIII, it is _still_ the right move. I'd still rather have taken the gamble on RGIII than Janoris Jenkins and the five other guys who came out for the coin toss on Sunday. They are all replaceable. A chance at an elite QB is not.
We hope we're building a team with staying power that makes the playoffs year after year. Which means we hope to NEVER be picking in the top 5 for the next 10-15 years. But here we are picking in the top 5 (hopefully for the last time for many years to come) AND in desperate need of a really good QB. We almost have to use this 'rare occasion' to grab the best QB we can. If that's means trading up 2-3 spots for a kings ransom, you have to do it. Just once, this year. We're so close to the top we almost gotta go all in on a Redskins/RG3 or Giants/Manning type deal and pray it works out. And if we're still sitting here 10 years from now whining that we've never had a good QB, we can look back at 2015 and say "We gave it our best shot". Off topic, but curious if you'd trade our #1 pick (say #3 overall) to NE for that kid they got last year. Gradulope or whatever his name is....looked VERY solid in preseason. Kinda wish we drafted him.
Have to go for the franchise QB in the draft if you ever want a chance to win big consistently in this league. This opportunity doesn't come along often. Should the Jets pick in the top 5, they have to do whatever it takes to get one of MM or JW.
Or... you know... just lose to the Titans and watch the Bucs beat the Panthers and instantly have a top 2 pick. Once the Jags (hopefully) beat the Titans, we just have to lose out to secure the first overall pick.
I think it's fair to point out, the teams that "hit" on QB's, also spend money on talent across the board and have very good coaching. Had we been better at drafting over all and a little loser with the purse strings, our QB "busts", may have been solid players for years. Sanchez could have been our guy, he certainly had the potential with solid players around him. Sadly, he got his bell rang too many times and never recovered from it. Geno is much the same, could be good with great talent surrounding him. My point, if you don't have an Elway, Brady, Manning, you have to field a very good team to offset your weakness at QB. We did that in 09-10, it worked well for us. Since 65, how many Elite QB'S have there been? 15? Our odds are not good holding out for "that guy". Build around what you have.
Speaking of which, I would like to see Geno play the last three games purely to prepare him for next year and build up his confidence. Geno needs to get a full three games of playing time in _now_ for the Jets to have a strong, confident QB in 2015.
You certainly have a good point sir. My perspective on this draft is that, I think you look at this draft and you got 2 guys at the QB position that could be long-term starters. After that, I wouldn't gamble on one in RD1 (unless you trade down of course). If Amari Cooper is on board and none of the QBs are available, then don't gamble on the QB that hasn't really produced, instead take the best player available or trade down. I'm still weary on Winston - I think he can be great but man he's got one hell of a road and the Jets organization will need to keep their eyes on that dude 24/7
My concern about the trading up concept is you have to have a willing partner in a trade. If the draft order plays out and TB is on top, why would they not say they will pick Mariota, and no reasonable package offered by the Jets would convince them to trade their pick? In other words, they would seem to be as much in need of a top Qb as the Jets, and us all wanting Mariota does not make it otherwise. Meanwhile Winston does not sound like he would be a good fit for the Jets, and from what all is said about the rest of the draft, no Qb's in it seem like first round material, certainly not high first round. In other words I think we can hardly count on getting Mariota no matter how much the FO should be willing to give up for him. This brings us back to the general situation described by the OP. I personally would cut Smith this off season, since I don't think he has any future with the team. Others here have posted that with his rookie contract it makes little sense to do that. But in fact IF the Jets get Mariota, Smith would be the worst Qb to retain on the roster. He can't start in order to let a rookie develop some before starting (and I sure hope the Jets do not start a rookie Qb on Opening Day for the third time in seven years). He shouldn't be a true #2 behind a rookie, either (same reason - the rookie should not start). So, Smith as your third Qb? Not that either. He's not a development project. He has no special ability to run a scout team, either, since he doesn't begin to resemble any NFL Qb I can think of, let alone week to week to pretend he's the Qb for the upcoming opponent. As for Vick, he really disappointed me this season. Yes I can understand his frustration with the Jets, and he did SAY all the right things. But his being unprepared to come in and play was inexcusable. Says to me he doesn't want to be here next year. Simms I wish they had at least given a chance to start some of these last games, but whether the reasons are good or bad, the organization is not pursuing that opportunity. Simms in fact would probably be better off on another team. So, the Jets seem unlikely to get Mariota, and do not have a suitable candidate to be the Qb next season on the roster. Aside from being a major strike against Idzik and the rest of the organization, it is a huge challenge going forward. In a future lengthy, long winded but comprehensive post I hope to discuss alternatives.
You are making an incredible assumption about "building" Geno's confidence. What if he goes 0-3? All we have done at that point is ensure a top 3 draft pick, know nothing about Simms and ensure that Geno should NOT be on this team next year...regardless of contract. (please see BigBlocker's perfectly worded diatribe directly above this post) In my humble opinion...and this will be the last I ever speak of it...the NY Jets shit the bed when they passed on the opportunity to pick up Alex Smith. I said it then and everyone laughed at me...it isn't so funny now is it? It's HIGHLY rare to be able to pick up a QB, in their prime...coming off a winning record...with a ton of experience and ridiculously cheap. Yet again...in typical Jets fashion we didn't even "kick the tires." To continue where BigBlocker left off...time to discuss alternatives...of which there are VERY few. No FA QB available, or potentially available, next year does anything for me...they all have disgusting warts and every last one of them is a shot in a black hole...because even darkness would have some light in it. Every last option sucks. The draft, as far as I'm concerned, is Mariota and everyone else. Winston is not an option...that is if he even makes the draft instead of prison. I don't want Jameis Winston on the NY Jets and if they do draft him I'll disown the team until he is gone. He is an immature thug and I see him lasting all of "five minutes" in NY. About the only place that guy could go and not get into trouble would be Green Bay and that would only work if you took his license away so he couldn't travel. So, having said my piece on that, who else is there? No FA worth wasting time on...only one QB in the draft worth drafting...exactly what are the NY Jets to do? They fucked up Alex Smith...they fucked up getting any one of the QB's last year...I dunno...Idzik has done a slam dunk wham bam thank you ma'am job of jerking us up for the foreseeable future so I'm at wits end...anyone have any ideas?
Yes, there are very few alternatives. Before getting to a couple of scenarios, back briefly to G Smith. About the only value Smith might bring to the Jets next season would be backing up a vet Qb. And to be clear I ONLY say that because the Jets have to make so many other moves, including getting a starting Qb, that it would be nice not to also have to get a backup. Now, I agree with Mezzavo that there's really not much to say, meaning good to say, about the FA Qb class this coming off season. No point in going over the Lockers of this world and I already said my piece about Vick (who just watch may well go to another team and do well - in which case fine). We briefly considered Brian Hoyer here a few weeks ago. Unfortunately Hoyer since showed a too great propensity to turn his chicken parmesan season into chickenshit. Still, he might well be better than some other alternatives, but let's put him aside for now. I also recall discussions of Bradford. My guess right now is that the Rams will likely retain him. If not, trading for him would go at or near the top of my list, but I won't waste more space here since I don't think he's leaving the Rams. Which leads me to: Jay Cutler. Ok Ok Ok I assume everyone here has heard about his problems, and in specific the word this week that the Chicago FO has been heard to have "buyer's remorse" over the big contract he got last year. The Bears also have a losing record, and many fans are pinning a big part of the blame on Cutler, expecting Chicago would have had a much better season. But let's look beneath that surface veneer. Cutler in fact is having arguably his best season stat wise. QBR is down, but conventional Qb rating is up. The difference I think is because while total int's are up, the TD/Int ratio is better. ypa is slightly down from 13, but completion percentage is up a good bit. Most important he has remained healthy all season. Meanwhile Chicago's CS is a big problem (just google the press coverage) and Chicago's running game offers little support. Marshall, his main receiver, has been hampered off and on most of the year with injuries and is now done for the season. But despite these problems, back to stats his Qb rating places him 16th of 34 starting Qb's this year, or solidly mid-pack (which imo is what he's always been, pretty much). Now his critics would say his stats are misleading, and point to games like Dallas where his stats were good but at critical junctures he led the team to too many three and outs. Fair enough. Still, it's hard to say that's all on Cutler. back to that buyer's remorse thing- what it really amounts to is that Cutler has not played up to his contract. No doubt that's true. But the fact that Cutler was overpaid by Chicago does not make him less than the mid pack Qb his numbers say he is. And in the environment in Chicago that overpayment could well lead their FO to trade him. As it sounds like they very well might. At taht point it becomes a negotiation for what they will insist on. Who knows at this point what he could be obtained for. But it is not unreasonable to expect the Bears to eat a good chunk of his guaranteed money. That's really a sunk cost at this point. And they may want to get him out of town rather than run the risk he will continue in public to make the case in effect that they did overpay him. Now a mid-pack Qb as many around here no doubt will note is a long shot to bring a team to an SB. I agree. But it's not like the Jets are going to get to choose between someone like Cutler and someone like Aaron Rodgers. At 31 Cutler would be a good short to medium term solution while the Jets continue to look elsewhere, primarily the draft, for a medium to long term solution at Qb. So, if the Rams do want to part ways with Bradford, that's probably best. After that, Cutler appears as a possible and best of the possible solutions.
Bradford is not leading us to the playoffs, hate to say it. Bradford is a walking injury since his Oklahoma days. What the hell do people see in him? I'd definitely take Cutler over Bradford but I hate Cutler's demeanor, it's putrid. I almost never say that about a player but that guy is one smug, weird dude. Shit, I'd look at Matt Moore and a few others in terms of cheap and serviceable veterans for next year to hold the fort down if we're lucky enough to get MM or JW in the draft.
I should also add some other considerations about Cutler would include that he could probably use a change of scenery. And as a vet in the third largest city in the country, coming to NYC would not be a shock dealing with the media. Some of hte intangibles in short could be quite good. He's had some issues with perceptions of his attitude. But I think he wants to do well, and the Jets could be an excellent match for him. Unless someone comes up with a better alternative, Cutler is worth considering.
