5 Reasons Why Michael Vick Needs To Start For Jets
by Jake Brown (@JBSportsRadio)
The Jets continue to have issues at quarterback. It's been a constant issue since Rex Ryan got here. Well, the problem is alive and well in 2014. Geno Smith is off to a shaky start in his second season, and he's got Michael Vick looking right over his shoulder. The Jets are 1-3, and the schedule only gets tougher from here on out. Is it time to go to Vick at QB as the Jets head to San Diego Sunday? You better believe it.
1. Geno Smith is a turnover machine
Four games into the season and Smith already leads the NFL in interceptions with five. He's also fumbled three times. Eight turnovers in four games is absolutely nauseating. You can't win football games turning the ball over twice every week. The only Jets win came against a horrid Raiders squad, and they barely escaped with a victory in the opener. It's nearly impossible to win football games when your QB is giving it to the other team and putting the defense on the field more than they should be. It's been a major issue so far.
2. Vick is a veteran, can run the ball, knows Marty Mornhinweg's playbook
We're not talking about some rookie or some scrub or some career backup. Vick is a guy who has been there before. He took the Falcons to the playoffs. He had some success in Philadelphia before injuries and Nick Foles got the best of him. Vick is a playmaker. He may not be the most accurate QB, but he can fire the football down the field, and he can make it happen with his feet. Smith has been unable to do much on his own two feet. Vick gives the Jets another dimension that opposing defenses have to prepare for. Opposing defenses against Smith just have to make sure they know how to catch a football, because there's a good chance it will be coming in their direction. You also can't overlook the fact that he worked under Marty Mornhinweg's playbook in Philly, which means he knows exactly what he's doing.
3. Geno has regressed, lost his cool
The Jets hoped Smith would progress in his second season. He's actually done just the opposite. The second-year QB continues to make the same rookie mistakes he did last year. He's making bad throws on the run. He's not holding onto the football. He's missing open receivers. He's getting sacked at inopportune times. To put the icing on the cake, he yelled a profanity at a heckling fan following Sunday's loss. The fans had every right to boo him and call for Vick, yet Smith could not handle it. That will only get worse if he continues to fail.
4. Season is about to spiral out of control
The Jets season and Rex Ryan's job are about to spiral out of control. The Jets are 1-3 and in last place in the AFC East. The next three weeks could put a seal on a season, and it won't even be halfway through. They will take on the Chargers on the road, then return home to face the Broncos, and then hit the road on a Thursday night to play the Patriots. This team could potentially be 1-6 with their season in shambles. The head coach won't be here if that is the case. It should be playoffs or bust or Ryan will be looking for a job elsewhere.
5. Vick brought in for this reason alone
Why was Vick brought in? Is he here to sit on the bench and watch the Jets fail? Gang Green clearly has themselves the best backup QB in the league. We have not seen him used once effectively. He's there as a decoy on wildcat plays. What he was brought here for was to take over for Smith when he got in trouble for the short term. He's not here for multiple years. He signed a one-year deal for $5 million. You don't pay a guy $5 million to watch the failures of a second-year QB. We have barely seen what Vick has got left because he barely threw the ball in preseason, and the Jets have been set from the start on starting Smith no matter what. This is a QB who has thrown for over 21,000 yards and run for nearly 6,000 in his career. It's time for Ryan, John Idzik, and the Jets organization to hand the keys to Vick, at least for a couple of games. Smith needs to be taught a lesson.