The New York Jets are left scratching their heads after missing out on the frw quarterbacks that were available thus far in free agency.
I don’t blame the New York Jets for not forking over the cash necessary for a Mike Glennon, an unproven commodity that for no apparent good reason is commanding starter salary.
But now that they didn’t pull the trigger, they’re left with leftovers — Jay Cutler, Colin Kaepernick, among the bunch. But all of these options have flaws and other baggage. The one quarterback that should be under center for the Jets “technically” isn’t on the roster, but he should be.
That’s Geno Smith, a polarizing figure since arriving in Gotham. He was heralded as the best quarterback in the 2013 NFL Draft, yet he fell all the way to the second round. Smith was upset and threw somewhat of a fit — can’t blame him.
The facts are simple. Smith isn’t perfect. If he was, he wouldn’t be an impending free agent right now. He struggles reading defenses, he struggles with turnovers, and his leadership has been questioned by teammates and media alike.
But the one thing he’s truly never gotten is a fair shake. He was supposed to sit behind Mark Sanchez and he never did. Instead, he was thrown into the fiery pits of NFL hell which usually ends rookie careers.
When he was in there, he exceeded expectations and brought an underwhelming Jets team to .500. When he had teams around him he either got punched in the face or more recently tore his ACL in his first start of the season.
It’s been an unfair run for Smith in the NFL. The team has treated him like garbage and like a child. What is this, kindergarten?
Remember the color coded system that Rex Ryan employed? Green means take some chances, yellow means judgement call, red means keep it safe … this is ridiculous. During this torturous run he had a game where all the reads appeared to be predetermined.
It was almost like a bad game of online Madden with inner thoughts being (I’m going to throw it to square button no matter what). Resulting in three first half interceptions, was that Smith or the coaching staff? I’d like to lean towards the latter.
The ultimate issue is that if I were Geno Smith I’d keep clear of Broadway. After what the organization did, why would he come back?
Plus, the Jets newfound interest in Cutler after he’s been released by the Chicago Bears should muddy things up even more. If the Jets were smart, they’d bring Smith back to at the very least be their bridge guy until Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg can get off their training wheels.
And maybe best case, he can take advantage of a “fair shake,” something he never received during his first stint with the Jets franchise.