Assuming Simms gets in there and does not play worse than Smith, I would look forward to Smith working during the off season on fundamentals and getting his confidence back. See what he can do as a sophomore in camp. But leaving him in there the rest of this season would likely be counterproductive. David Carr-like.
Okay, they blitzed him...but there was little pass rush to speak of. That was noticeable to the casual observer. It's a big part of why people are claiming Buffalo stopped blitzing. Simms clearly wasn't dealing with the sort of heat Geno did.
I doubt it's a coincidence that Geno's rough stretch occurred with Holmes, Cumberland, Winslow, and Kerley missing time and Hill going into hibernation. Factor in that he was playing behind a poor, pass blocking line and you've got a perfect recipe for QB failure. The idea that Matt Simms, or any other rookie QB, would have success under those circumstances is pretty ridiculous. Receiving corp is getting healthy again, I say give the higher ceiling QB - the guy who played a significant role in getting us to 5-5 - a chance to see if he can fight through adversity with the regular guys in there.
First you say they were not blitzing Simms. Now you admit they were. But! You sound like you have some dog in this hunt, to be frank. I am just a Jet fan who sees a Qb struggling and not benefitting from his playing time. Let the other guy show what he can do. It's not that complicated. And look at it this way - nothing you have said supports the notion that Simms would do worse than Smith, so what is there to be afraid of in playing Simms? Btw that's a rhetorical question, so you need not answer it. The answer is nothing.
Not a good idea for Simms to start on the road with hardly no first team reps. If Geno fucks up really bad this weekend. Give Simms the first team reps the next week and have him debut as a starter at home to help his confidence.
I haven't been looking ahead to the first fish game, but if Smith sucks in Baltimore, I would expect the fans to be, uh, quite outspoken if Rex were to start Smith against Miami. Hopefully that scenario does not play out.
A Blitz is a blitz is a blitz. If you, like I did, re-watched the game tape you would see the pressure was the same. The difference between Simms and Smith is release time and decisive decision making. Simms' release is noticeably faster. Follow that up with, right or wrong decision, Simms makes the decision and then pulls the trigger. You can SEE Geno "hem hawing" about it before he tosses the rock. When you watch the two back to back, in game, Simms just appears to be going at a faster pace, all the way around, than Geno. Maybe that's just me but could explain the apparent "lack" of pressure you speak of. Go watch the tape and you tell me...
I don't have a "dog in this hunt", as you say. Just don't believe it's wise to yank Geno after a bad stretch where circumstances have severely limited his ability to work with the regular receiving corp. Few rooks could succeed with the supporting cast, and poor pass protection, he's had. I think there's more to be gained, long term, from sticking with him and seeing if he can fight through adversity. If Simms does get in, I'll root for him. Don't have fanboy hopes pinned on any player, I just want my team to have a good QB.
It's easy to play fast-and-loose when you're not shouldering any expectations. Jet fans have seen many scrub quarterbacks play well in the pre-season and garbage time, raise hopes, and then shit the bed when given a chance in meaningful situations. I'm amazed that so many folks on this forum are eager to go down that road again with Simms.
You're an undrafted rookie free agent that is more known for his dad than your college career. He is playing for a chance to stay in the NFL. He comes in and fails there is no reason for him to be on the team.
This particular QB has a better arm than Geno, very good mobility, and has shown good decision making in limited playing time. Geno is supposed to be athletic yet never eludes the rushers or runs out of the pocket unless the play calls for it. Simms has the arm, the pedigree, and clearly the determination maybe all he needs is the opurtunity. He can't be any worse than Geno that's for sure.
I don't think anyone is "eager to go down that road." Fact is Smith is not giving us a chance to win. Beating the Jets now has a blueprint. Stack the box with 8. Stop the run, and Geno will beat himself. Baltimore will be more of the same. We need to do something different. Simms may not be the answer. Lets find out. McElroy looked good in his limited time. Hell he even came in and won a game. But they gave him a start and he stunk. ( and got hurt) but at that point Sanchez had to be pulled. We are in the same situation.
I'm no talking about his decision making. He's release and foot work is so much faster in setting up then Geno it's not even close. I doubt he is going to be accurate or a great decision maker. On mechanics alone he is miles ahead of Geno. Jets fans have had many scrub starting quarterback play well in pre-season and garbage time, raise hopes and then shit the bed when given a chance in meaningful situations. I'm amazed how many folks are eager to go down that road with Geno.
Simms threw six passes on Sunday and would have had a pick if the DB didn't drop it. Let's not go nuts over his decision making just yet. It's entirely possible he would be the same sort of turnover machine Geno has been, without providing any sort of playmaking ability with his legs.
Is escaping the pocket with his legs and making a downfield throw not considered playmaking anymore? Why are people so opposed to Simms getting a shot? He has all the NFL talent in the world, he went undrafted because his production at the College level wasn't there but he's had a year of NFL coaching and looks worlds better than he did at College.
I assume you meant go down that road with Simms. For myself whatever eagerness I have comes mostly from an assessment that Smith is getting worse, not better, and that such experience is bad for him and disruptive to the team. I am eager in other words to put an end to that sorry spectacle. Simms himself has shown flashes of effectiveness, but no more. I might have some eagerness as well to see what the backup Qb is capable of, which could well be a factor in moves this coming off season. Looking around the league, and even with all the rules in place to protect the Qb, there is a huge amount of teams with Qb's playing who did not start the season. With Sanchez out and not likely to come back, Garrrard having problems with fragility, and Simms an unknown, I see some real value in getting a better handle on what he is capable of. In short it's not so odd to play one's backup when circumstances indicate, as they do here. I think that's more a reasonable assessment than on eagerness encouraged by false hopes.
You can't blame missing skill players on stupid QB mistakes. They aren't the reason he can't read defenses, has no pocket presence, moves back instead of up in the pocket, has no internal clock, and on and on. The only thing you can blame the missing players on is not getting separation (not that the missing players did much better anyway), not getting YAC, not helping out the QB be knowing they are the hot read etc. Geno hasn't shown ANY progression this year, he's turning into Nacho part II and I'm sick of choking on the shit filled taco's they've served up to us.