I am almost certain we are not taking Mariota in this draft: "There's a long time between now and Week 1, and even between now and the start of Jets training camp, when the team will once again attempt to resolve its ever-rocky quarterback situation. Is third-year pro Geno Smith the answer? Where does 32-year-old Ryan Fitzpatrick fit in, after the Jets just traded for him? Will those two quarterbacks have an actual competition for the starting job this summer, unlike the charade of a non-competition the Jets conducted last summer between Smith and Michael Vick? Or will the Jets completely overhaul their quarterback position by drafting Oregon's Heisman Trophy winner, Marcus Mariota, sixth overall next month? Mariota has been a popular projected pick for the Jets in recent mock drafts, for what that is worth (very little). Jets owner Woody Johnson pondered that latter question Monday at the NFL's annual meeting. How would Johnson feel if his general manager, Mike Maccagnan, selected Mariota? "I don't have any feeling about it whatsoever," Johnson said. "We're in the process of going through all the candidates and looking at tape and interviews and doing our research." When asked for his opinion of Mariota, Johnson said, "It's always in relation to 'what.'" He meant that the viability of Mariota as the Jets' potential starting quarterback obviously depends on their other options at the position. So how does Mariota rate in relation to Smith? "We haven't made that determination," Johnson said. "Geno is probably way ahead of him at this point, believe it or not, whether you guys [reporters] have skepticism of that or not. Certainly, [Mariota's] college career was good." That quote about Smith probably being "way ahead of" Mariota right now will raise some eyebrows. But it's just Johnson acknowledging the reality that rookie quarterbacks often struggle in the NFL -- as Johnson witnessed in 2013 with Smith. Especially for spread offense quarterbacks like Mariota, transitioning to the NFL is an enormous undertaking. There are significant doubts about whether Mariota will be able to make this transition at all. Plus, since Smith already has two (albeit uneven) NFL seasons under his belt, he would have a leg up on any rookie quarterback in that regard, despite Smith's struggles so far. These are all obvious things that Johnson was simply acknowledging in a candid manner. Still, Winston is a controversial player, so would Johnson be comfortable having him on the Jets? Johnson punted on the question, one he almost certainly will never have to answer. "I don't know who it is at this point, whether it's Mariota or anybody else," Johnson said." http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/03/woody_johnson_geno_smith_marcus_mariota_jets_quart.html
Yea well its true,at the same time it doesn't mean anything.Obviously Geno has had time to learn the playbook the last two years but how ahead of him could he really be?Geno hasn't developed into anything but a turnover with legs and eyes
Woody Johnson is trending like a mofo on twitter for this comment...I'm hoping its all a smoke screen to take the spotlight off MM so he can fall to #6 and we can have our trade bait to the highest bidder.
Fans clamoring for Marcus Mariota have exactly zero football reasons to point to. The best they can summon is: Marcus is extremely talented (whatever that's means) Marcus is extremely athletic Marcus is smart Marcus is this Marcus is that Jets have been without a franchize QB for so long now We gotta keep throwing QBs at the wall until one sticks, it's that important There is probably no greater divide in sports than the canyon between a college spread offense and an NFL offense facing an NFL defense. Saying we HAVE to give Mariota a shot because he seems so athletic is like saying we should give Bruce Jenner a shot because he is the best athlete the world has ever seen. It's almost exactly the same.
Smoke-screen??? Oh boy, now you done start some shit. Prepare your shield, it's gonna get hot in here.
means basically dick all. a smokescreen, a cry for attention, an owner displaying a vote of confidence for a concurrent player, whatever. Mac's final judgment in May is all that matters. wether we get Mariota or not is up in the air or perhaps out of our hands completely, we'll just have to wait to find out. lets not put stock into a blabby owners musings to separate fact from fiction. and remember jets fans, we'll get talent someplace important no matter how things fall.
I saw this article and knew some guy that starts too many topics would start a topic about it but the reality is that Woody was stating the obvious and there is nothing even approaching news about this article
Geno Smith has played in the NFL for two seasons... he's seen the speed of NFL players and defensive schemes of defensive coordinators around the league, so yes he is ahead of Mariota.
Aye I think Mariota needs to sit for a bit coming out as well. No matter how you slice it Geno has a spot on the team for a little while longer.
Id love to kill Woody for this but he isnt wrong. Mariota reminds me a lot of how Geno was at WVU. Same strengths, same weaknesses. So it wouldnt shock me if both guys have similar careers. But if QB wasnt such a premium position there is no way this guy would be a top 2 pick.
i'm inclined to agree…if only technically speaking. now Mariota is the better prospect out of college, has more upside and could conceivably win out a starting job from a 3rd year Smith through a decent august or continued poor performances from Geno. but… regardless of what he was in college, the NFL is a different beast and theres clearly gonna be a learning curve as he adjusts to a few things especially the speed of the game. so yeah, the dude with Pro experience is gonna be a bit further along in dealing with that curve than a rookie, no duh. Smith has a "leg up" on MM about as much as sanchez did on him two years ago. it is what it is, though I'm sure many assume his college play means he's automatically superior than Smith NOW.
Bolded is the only relevant part. Jets need to keep taking QBs until one sticks. I have no idea if MM good, bad or in between. But if he sits at 6 you take the kid and hope he pans out.
stupid article, stupid quote, stupid stupid. AND if it was actually something that mattered, its not about where anyone is today, its about where they will be over the next 10 years. i dont think woody is stupid enough to not realize that. but he is a fucking moron.
Bucs don't need Leonard Williams I disagree, you don't take a QB just to take one - you must be sold that the QB will bring something to the table. Otherwise all you got is a QB taking up roster space.
and this is not the nfl of 10 years ago where a miss on a first round qb is an absolute catastrophe. just so long as you are willing to move on from him when its obvious. you used to have to commit so much money that you couldnt move on for 4 or 5 years. those days are gone, except in jet land. waited entirely too long to part ways with sancho and now appear to be doing the same with geno, who is even less of a problem to get rid of. hey 2nd round qb didnt work out... on to the next.
