Ok, my thoughts. I think Fitz has been OK. When the Browns went up 7-0 and the Colts scored that touchdown alot of us were worried the team would fold. But the offense with Fitz behind center showed the poise and experience to respond with TD's and game victories. He didnt come through last week but he made it a close one. I think alot of the problems of the offense have to do with the OL and their lack of push in the ground game. If they can set themselves and change those 1 yard gains into 3-4 yard gains on first and second downs that changes things immensely. I don't think Geno has shown the mental fortitude to respond like Fitz has when challenged. In fact he has come up short time after time. Geno had one good outing last year against Miami in a meaningless game. Why so many think that means something I don't understand. And the thought that at 2-1 and with the veteran team the Jets have that we should be thinking draft position in 2016 is ludicrous. Maybe Jets fans have become too accustomed to winning the off season. Coach Bowles has preached that the team needs to improve as the season progresses and win games now while it gets better. If the Jets do this, they will be in the playoff hunt and who knows what they can do if they make it in. The odds of course are not in their favor but I'd enjoy a playoff appearance no doubt.
So, here's your coin flip: if Geno does well then the Jets make the playoffs, no problem. In fact if he plays really well we maybe found the QB. However if the Jets totally tank this year it is 5 years since the last playoff spot. The QB's they're picking from up in the top 10 next year all look developmental at best. So that's 2 more years of likely no playoffs. That begins to look like a really bad team at that point. We're on a Fin-like run with 7 years out of the playoffs and we're just hoping the guy we tanked for is good enough to stop the bleeding when he gets his feet under him. The middle case is Geno does just enough for the Jets to make the playoffs but doesn't resolve the long-term questions at QB. That's a much better scenario than the one I just outlined but we're really not much better off long-term, we just have the no playoffs monkey off our back. So, if you think Geno has a good chance to be the guy you put him back in at QB and hope the simple case in the first paragraph is what happens. I'd rather stay with Fitzpatrick for now, secure in the fact that we're looking for a QB no question next season and hoping that Fitzpatrick has enough left in the tank to manage us to the playoffs this year and then play some next year while Petty and whoever else get the cover they need to have a real shot at a job.
Long story short for anyone who doesn't want to decipher all those statistics: Fitzpatrick is getting a lot of short fields to work with. Geno hardly got any short fields last year because the defense couldn't get takeaways. Fitzpatrick isn't moving the ball when faced with a long field. Geno traditionally has moved the ball well but stalled in the red zone, I think the addition of Marshall can fix those red zone woes like it's been doing for Fitz.
The Jets have 4 drives of 72 yards or longer for a TD through 3 games. They've scored a TD in each of the wins when they were within a score and needed a long drive to shut the other team down. Is Fitzpatrick good? No. But holding the performance last week against him when Ivory and Decker and Owusu were out is just a dishonest thing to do. Nobody else was going to do any better with a running game that was good for 30-odd yards on the day. This team isn't built to pass the ball for a living, it's built to play a cards close to the vest game and score enough to keep the game from getting out of hand. Opposing punt returns for TD's and no running game are going to be a loss whoever is out there. That's just what it is.
There are times where you can say "no one else was going to be better with the weapons he had" but it's obvious that Fitz had a bad day. Many breakdowns have shown that he left 6-7 big plays on the field with bad throws, that "someone else" might have completed. Both our quarterbacks suck, but I think it'd be an injustice if we didn't take a sample to see which one sucks less with all other factors constant.
The problem is that the sampling process is chaotic at best. What do you do if Geno goes out there and can't move the offense either? What if he turns the ball over in sloppy ways? Given that the Jets locker room clearly doesn't have his back at this point and that for now they're supporting Fitzpatrick I think you have to stay with the status quo until events make that untenable. If the Jets have to go to Geno we'll all know it. It won't be a controversial call and we won't see a weekly "do we stay with Geno or go back to Fitzpatrick?" discussion happening in the tabloid press (and on billboards.) Consistency is important. It's the mother of reproducible events.
That's why the punch ruined everything. I would've loved to have seen Geno get the first 4 games as a sample then switched out at the bye if he didn't improve. It is dicey to make that move midseason but you don't go anywhere in this league without gambling. It reminds me somewhat of the Alex Smith/Kaepernick situation from 2012 except it would be because of performance instead of injury.
Come on now. After the Miami debacle when Rex wouldn't let him throw, Geno was solid the final 4 weeks of the season. 63% 266 yds passing/gm, 20 yds rushing/gm, 6 TDs, 2 INTs, O Fum, 2-2 record with an OT loss @ Minny and a 1 pt loss to the Pats. Those numbers are better or comparable to Fitz's thus far, and Fitz has had Marshall to throw to.
Fitzpatrick makes better decisions than Geno Smith, do you agree or disagree? Geno has looked good in roughly 3 or 4 starts out of the 2 seasons he played.
And I agree that Fitz has to keep starting for continuity's sake, but let's not pretend that Fitz is a savior. Geno lost the job when he got punched in the face, but there is a really good chance we see him if Fitz has a bad spell or gets injured..
The difference between Smith/Kaepernick and Fitzpatrick/Geno is that Harbaugh moved from a position of strength, with his offense already productive but feeling he could get more out of it. He moved to a 2nd round pick that he had picked and that he wanted to play, from a longtime fixture that he had inherited and improved and felt he had maxed out with. Then he was helped out by an injury, which made him make the move. He then chose not to put Smith back in when the injury had healed. With Fitzpatrick/Geno the Jets are not in a position of strength. The offense is not a positive with Ivory limited and Decker out. Geno is not a guy that Mac and Bowles picked and want to play. Fitzpatrick is the guy they brought in because they had concerns about Geno's ability to improve enough to start for the Jets long-term. If there's an injury to Fitzpatrick or he just totally loses it, that's when you put Geno in and hope that he's improved enough to hold the job and help the Jets out.
Putting aside this ridiculous notion that Smith should be in there, I think this is not a season to throw games to get a higher draft choice at all. New GM, new HC, basically new CS. We have to see how many games this regime can win with this roster. We have to see whether several of the players can and should be part of the medium to long range picture, everyone from Carpenter as the new LG to whether Pryor can up his game to justify his draft status. People like Coples. How good is Williams? Who is hte best #3 wideout? You don't answer those questions by putting in a shit qb and watch him tank games. But mostly its on the CS. It's imo much more important to see them do as well as they can, inspire confidence and all that, than it is to see if some second round Qb with judgment, leadership and turnover issues can somehow miraculously turn the corner.
I disagree and while I'm not crowning Geno the second coming, don't it twisted, I am saying this Geno can be just as productive or better and he's younger work better physical skills. The only reason you go with Fitzpatrick is of he was clearly better and gets you to the playoff and he's not guaranteed either. He certainly not a long term answer, so you see what you have with Geno and go from there. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Thanks for the data. When the season was over (garbage time), Geno put up OK (Fitz like) stats. When the Jets still had a chance, Rex decided to restrict his QB from throwing the ball. Sorry that makes me less confident not more.
A sampling of Geno Smith game stats from last year before he went on his late season tear: Buffalo: 2 for 8 5 yards, 0TD's 3INTs Buffalo 10 for 12 89 yards 0TD's 0Int's (Great completion percentage/Blowout loss) Miami: 7 for 13 65 yards 0TD's 1Int Of course that was Rex's fault mostly for putting the handcuffs on Geno, but its less than a year ago and folks on this board are clamoring for that guy to be the Jets QB. Incredible!!
And Fitz wasn't playing much better. Remember, he was benched and only got a chance again cuz of an injury. Keep it in perspective here. We had a retarded head coach who doesn't know a center from the center in his ass. We had no talent outside of ivory, Oline played like dogshit, and so many other factors. Last season went well beyond Geno yet you blame him and he gets no excuses. Fitzpatrick who's looked like shit this season and last save for a few games, and you make all the excuses in the world. Be consistent if one gets no excuses despite only being a 2 year play then the other doesn't either. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Fitz - Can't throw beyond 20 yards. Smith - Can't throw anywhere consistently. And he's a moron to boot. Seems like an easy decision to me.
Given that Rex picked out Tyrod Taylor from the Ravens bench and he seems to be playing pretty well for the Bills I'm not so sure about Rex not being able to identify QB talent. Maybe he just got Geno rammed down his throat by Idzik and he just had to play the hand given him. And given the Texans QB issues I dont think they can be trusted to evaluate QB talent can you? Fitzpatrick hasnt looked like shit. He has been average. Shit is Geno's numbers last year, with his bone headed pick sixes. Most QB's have bad games now and then. Guys like Eli and Cousins and Stafford and even Luck who most Jets fans would love to have on the roster have put up garbage stats lately. Give Fitz at least 2-3 weeks to get it right. If he isnt the answer give the ball to Geno and see if he can reproduce another of his late season rallies.
