Lichtenstein: Jets Compound Dumb Plays By Not Benching Fitzpatrick
By Steve Lichtenstein
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There's no nice way to say this: The Jets are the NFL's stupid team.
If they were a student, they would qualify for special services. Unfortunately, in the ultracompetitive world of professional football, they have been left behind.
For 48 years.
In all that time the only subject they have mastered is the art of beating themselves. Sunday's incomprehensible 27-23 loss in Miami was a microcosm for all that has plagued this franchise, with maybe a handful of exceptions, over these many seasons.
Sunday's recipe for disaster included three unnecessary roughness/unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, unbalanced play calling (18 called runs to 34 drop-backs), poor fourth-quarter time management ("Let's waste a timeout after an incomplete pass and let the play clock run all the way down after tackles inbounds even though we're behind late in the game") and, of course, mind-boggling decisions made by the quarterback.
Ryan Fitzpatrick tossed another pair of second-half interceptions, including his league-leading fifth in the red zone, to bring his season total to 13 in nine games. The throw that landed in the waiting arms of Miami cornerback Bobby McCain in the end zone was Case Keenum-esque, albeit with a little less hang time.
MORE: Bowles Dismisses Notion That Jets Are Dysfunctional Bunch
Fitzpatrick, who had to be relieved by backup Bryce Petty for four plays in the third quarter after incurring a sprained MCL in his left knee, will keep his starting job for Sunday's home tilt versus the Rams so long as he doesn't miss "a significant amount of practice time" this week, per coach Todd Bowles.
Of course he will. Because the Jets never have a clear vision of reality.
Even if Fitzpatrick's MRI came back clean, what reason could Bowles possibly have for playing him with his team at 3-6? Has he watched the games?
Besides Sunday's interceptions, Fitzpatrick's poor throws cost the Jets a touchdown twice on the opening drive — he missed wide-open receiver Robby Anderson by a mile on a deep ball and later failed to properly lead Brandon Marshall on a third down in-route in the end zone.
The Jets crossed the goal line just once in five trips into the red zone, continuing a season-long trend in which they now rank 31st in touchdown percentage. Fitzpatrick's 41.7 percent red-zone completion percentage is the worst among all quarterbacks with at least 10 such attempts, per Pro-Football-Reference.com.
Fitzpatrick had his chance to salvage something out of this season and now, despite what Bowles told the media on Monday, it's over. The odds that the Jets will reach the playoffs are virtually nil.
MORE: Keidel: All Hope For Jets To Reach Postseason Is Now Gone
Fitzpatrick was never seen as anything more than a stopgap anyway -- his $12 million contract will expire after this season and then he will look for work elsewhere.
So why not play Petty now and see what you have? Even if it turns out that the 25-year-old is not starter material -- I doubt he is, but you will never know for sure until you see him on the field for more than a series. He might be good enough to be a backup — a guy who won't embarrass the team if needed to play in a pinch. That way, heaven forbid, the Jets won't have to consider the possibility of bringing prospective free agent Geno Smith back next season. If Petty fails miserably, then it's second-round pick Christian Hackenberg's turn.
Unfortunately, the Jets never look that far ahead. They're worried that playing Petty will be perceived as a sign that they've given up. Because they can't spin it as the smart way to proceed, they'd rather lose with Fitzpatrick than risk the negative publicity that would arise from those who choose to deride them for tanking with Petty.
My view on giving Petty his shot is different from when I was against the decision to elevate Smith, who was promoted for the Ravens game following the Jets' 1-5 start but tore his ACL while taking an unnecessary sack in the first half and is now shelved for the rest of the year.
Smith was not an unknown quantity — he enjoyed two full seasons as a starting quarterback after his second-round selection in the 2013 draft, more than enough time to make an evaluation as to his ceiling.
Smith's biggest flaws were confined to the area between his ears. His inconsistency in quickly processing what was happening in front of him led to way too many disastrous decisions with the ball.
Fitzpatrick may have graduated from Harvard, but his education hasn't limited the dumb plays he has made this season. And now management is compounding the stupidity on the field by refusing to accelerate the process of moving on. It should be their new top priority at every position, not just quarterback.
Except that's just not how this franchise is wired.
Every year this team makes me question why I bother caring. Worse, I've turned my two sons into Jets fans.
I was watching Sunday's game with my 16-year old son, Jack. Immediately after Jets safety Antonio Allen was flagged for offsides on the kickoff following Fitzpatrick's 18-yard touchdown pass to Jalin Marshall with 5:42 remaining that gave the Jets a 23-20 lead, Jack turned to me and suggested that Nick Folk kick the next one out of bounds.
His theory was that the Jets' notoriously slow coverage unit would be weakened by having just chased down Jakeem Grant on a return in which safety Calvin Pryor, one of their surest tacklers, was injured.
I told him that with the Dolphins needing only a field goal to tie, giving them a short field was not the smart move -- and then Kenyan Drake promptly ran Folk's subsequent kick back 96 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
Jack is a bright kid — he deserves better than the Jets.
For a FAN's perspective of the Nets, Jets and the NHL, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1