the way I would put it is to try and have reasonable expectations. I see some tough games on the schedule, this one not being one of the tougher ones. A win here hardly means we should be confident of leaving the first quarter at 3-1. But a loss here? Yikes. My real concern is that the Jets have to show they are competitive with Fitzpatrick in order to keep Smith off the field. And they have to do it early in the season, or else we risk seeing Bowles, Mac and Gailey say "Wtf, let's see what Smith can do." I don't want to see that, so beating Cleveland is step one in keeping Smith off the field.
I'm not sure I agree concerning Fitzpatrick. My thinking is it doesn't matter what Fitz or Geno do... the future of this team is Bryce Petty. The best case scenario is that Fitzpatrick plays so good that he earns a second year as the Jets starter before the Jets hand the keys to Petty. Worst case scenario, we get what you described, are annoyed and disappointed this season, and then wait until next season and hope like hell Petty is ready.
I get your point, and I have never looked at Fitzpatrick as more than the kind of situation you describe. A short term answer that may last into next season. But I think that is a perfectly plausible and beneficial scenario as compared to letting Smith play. If Smith plays, I can't see him succeeding. But it is possible, especially if the season is lost and he's not feeling the pressure, that he might play well enough to make the FO and CS think he could start next year while Petty continues to develop. Then, if they do that, are they going to keep looking at Qb prospects? Perhaps I am getting ahead of myself and am even at risk of sounding paranoid. But is it impossible that the people running the Jets might stick with Smith under that scenario? Okay, so I am looking too far down the road, and a win on Sunday will help minimize that awful scenario's chances of coming to pass. But for me it is a factor.
It's hard to imagine Smith getting anything more than a short leash on an injury situation. He doesn't seem to command the respect of his teammates, at least not to the extent that you hope for out of a starting QB (Marshall seems to be an exception). The Jets new FO hasn't done anything to indicate they'll try to force a failed experiment. Further, they don't have any incentive to since it isn't even their failed project. Bottom line is, Geno's still here because he's on his rookie contract, and realistically, there isn't a free agent available who will be any more effective.
Is it plausible that Geno could get back in the good graces of the CS and FO? Yes. I think the chances of it are very slim, tho. I've gotten the impression this offseason that our staff is dead set on developing Petty. they gave him ample playing time and he showed that there is something there. Geno may have also shown there was something there, but since he can't pay is debts and since IK has a sweet right cross, we most likely will never know. I'm also fairly certain that Gailey will call the games in a manner that will give Fitz every chance to succeed while playing to his strengths. He knows exactly what he can and can't do with him at the helm. He also has more talent around him than he's ever had. factor in that last year, albeit a shortened year due to injury, we saw that fitz was showing that he learned how to protect the football. If he keeps that up, there is no chance they ever go back to Geno
For edge and Greenbeanz, I am going to leave off the Smith discussion here because it's not really relevant enough to the subject of this thread. We've said enough about it, and I am not in any significant disagreement with what you aer both saying.
cool. and yeah youre right it really isnt relevant to this. back on track now, this god damn game cant get here fast enough. my biggest curiosity going into this game is how cro looks. he had a very up and down (mostly down imo) preseason. he looked a little off and a little rusty to me. his claim is that hes working on technique bc hes a veteran and isnt going all out. really hope thats true. if he plays to the level we expect, we are a QB's worst nightmare between the quality of secondary play and the D line. it will also cover up the deficiencies of our LB's.
Rather than bore everyone with a new thread I'll will hijack this one to wish all my TGG teammates the very best on this exciting season. We might not be there yet, but the early indications are looking good. I'm pumped up and ready to go. Thank you all for keeping me sane with great discussions and insight during the off season. From the much needed leadership changes, to free agency, to the draft,to training camp and pre season the outlook IMO is projecting brighter than years past. Sure we are disappointed with IK, Geno and Richardson but for once we have a suitable back up plan, as opposed to fielding an embarrassment like in 2014. We have not won anything yet, but something tells me this team will play tough, disciplined football and will not find ways to beat itself. Win or loose they will make us proud. From this moment forward every single one of the 53 man roster is a jet and I will root for them to be super successful. Personal opinion be damned, hope they all shine bright. Believe it or not this year we even have a practice squad with people that can crack the team on a pinch. We are beginning to fill the pipeline for a change. Let us hope that this is step one in a long, successful journey were the Jets bust out of the darkness and circus atmosphere and become the team we always dreamed of. Jet fans deserve that. go Jets
I'm not sure if I agree with you here, and I'm certainly not a Geno fan. As a Jets fan, we have to consider the following possibility: Assumption 1: The Jets long-term goal is to win a Super Bowl. Assumption 2: The Jets short-term goal is to build a team capable of winning the Super Bowl while winning enough games each year to keep fans and Woody happy. Assumption 3: The Jets are not currently good enough to satisfy assumption 1. If we can agree on these 3 assumptions, then the current season is an interesting one. If we aren't good enough to win the Super Bowl, we can certainly try to make the playoffs to help satisfy assumption 2 but the end goal of this season should be to improve our football team in order to achieve assumption 1. In the short-term, Fitzpatrick gives us the best shot at short-term success, but given his age and career he will likely not win a Super Bowl in his lifetime; it would take an absolute perfect team outside of the Qb position to make this happen. Many fans would also claim that Geno cannot win a Super Bowl, but given his age and lack of experience, it is too early to solidify that claim. With all of this in mind, is it worth starting Fitzpatrick all season if we are going to make the playoffs? I think so; making the playoffs at least improves team culture (creating a winning environment) and certainly makes fans and Woody happy. I'd take it. However, is it worth starting Fitzpatrick all season if we are going to go 7-9 or 8-8? I really don't think it is. If we're doing well after the first few games but not overwhelmingly well, I don't really see why Fitz should be starting on our team. In the short-term he is probably a better bet than Geno, but why are we giving a 30-something year old valuable experience on our team if we've already convinced ourselves that he isn't good enough to bring our team to the Super Bowl? Again, Geno may not have it either, but he may very well be worth starting over Fitz if our team isn't making the playoffs. And if neither Fitz or Geno can bring our team to the Super Bowl, the sooner we know that fact the better. At that point it would be time to find out what we have in Petty and then (possibly) make some big changes. Our team's current financial structure says "win now" but IMO it can't win now without a Qb and we need to reckon with that fact. TL;DR: I wouldn't simply hope for team success to "keep Smith off the field." In the end, mild success (an 8-8 team) while starting Fitz is the worst possiblity for long-term success.
I think Cro will be fine. My concerns going into this game include that it will probably not be winnable if Ivory does not get going, the right side of the OL, and how well the Jet lb's play.
The LBs are definitely a concern. They severely lack coverage skills which is going to hurt us at some point this year. Not against the Browns per se, but against teams that have receiving TEs I can see it being a huge issue. I felt the OL looked pretty good in the preseason. Better than I expected honestly. Hopefully that trend continues. After gailey saying that he has ivory being a major part of the offense, and how great he looked in the preseason, I have zero concerns about him. No worries there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Everyone here has their opinions. Mine is that we already know that Smith is unlikely to develop adequately. the risk is that he gets in there and "shows" enough that the team carries him into next season and does not go elsewhere searching for a Qb. I am as excited as everyone else about the hope Petty is raising, but he has not actually done anything that would lead one to say he is the future. Might be is the best we can do. So, if the Jets carry Fitzpatrick and not Smith into next year, it will come with the relative assurance that despite hopes over Petty they will look hard at adding another Qb. I think that is somewhat less likely if they do that with Smith. As for this season, I have been open in saying I don't want to see Smith behind center again. Call that an emotional position, but I think it has merit. One other thing is that you don't know whether the Jets will get to say 8-8 until they get there. And they may get there, meaning not do any better, because of factors other than Fitzpatrick. Imo this will not be a season where it makes any sense, as some thoujght it did last year, to hope for a poorer record to get a higher draft choice. The new regime needs to improve the Jets' performance, and that requires winning as many games as possible. Since I think as long as he is healthy that Fitz is the better Qb, then you play him even if the jets lose too many games because of poor performances by other players.
Well, I've completely drank the kool aid and picked the Jets over the Browns in the suicide pool. Let's go Jets!
Holy 180!! Devin Smith is probable for Sunday. Do you think that was a little gamesmanship from Bowles? Smith is the Jets most imposing deep threat and he went the entire week saying that he would not play, which didn't allow the Browns to practice for the idea of a field stretcher.
Ah, never mind. Bowles said he's probable but "not expected to play". I have no idea what that terminology means but ok.
Shit just have him run 9 routes. The D has to respect his speed and pull a safety over the top so the dude is not running wide open. This will help the run game the most. Forcing the d to take a guy out of the box is a huuuuge advantage for us.
I'm in a double suicide pool--one for a surviving winner and one for a surviving loser. I'm not picking both ends of the game--too risky--but I may pick the Browns to lose. _
Best of luck with your picks -- if it helps, the other games I was considering were MIA @ WAS, NO @ ARZ, or CIN @ OAK
