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Green Lantern: Jets' Offseason Party Was A Rager — Until The QBs Showed Up

By Jeff Capellini
WFAN.com

Maybe this is actually what a general manager is supposed to do.

Often the victims of an inept front office and, as a result, an underwhelming product on the field, Jets fans are walking around these days with their shoulders pinned back and their heads held high.

It's not a posture they are used to, but they are assuming it thanks to Mike Maccagnan, a man very few who root for this team knew existed before the calendar flipped to 2015.

What he has done this offseason has been a revelation. Inside of just a few months, the Jets' new general manager has performed successful open-heart surgery on a franchise once given last rites.

In a bizarre twist, the Jets are now consistently lauded for doing all the right things. It appears they've traded in the bravado that was beaten into them by Rex Ryan for the more laid-back approach of their new head coach, Todd Bowles, a man who has a wonderful reputation as a solid coach and molder of men, but seems completely content to be unassuming.

Maccagnan and Bowles were aggressive in free agency, but not for the quick fix. They have preached true competition from the start and you're going to see it at several positions during training camp. Unlike many of their predecessors, they have an understanding of how the draft is supposed to work, that it's actually OK to select the best players regardless of position. Excess in their minds is a good thing.

Add it all together and the Jets now find themselves with a roster that could be a factor in the AFC for a while.

I'll be honest, I'm not used to any of this. I'm sure I'm not alone.

The Jets no longer attempt to plan for the future at the expense of the present, and the days of stuffing mattresses with cash are long gone. This team and its fans have enjoyed more positive vibes in Maccagnan's short tenure than they did in the previous four years combined.

There's just one problem. You know it and I know it. There is one thing standing in the way of the Jets and legitimate aspirations, a reality that has prevented the fan base from really feeling like this could be the beginning of something special and sustained.

Oh, what they wouldn't do to have a quarterback that they trust.

It's impossible to predict what Geno Smith will be come September, and that simply scares the hell out of everyone. While he remains a gifted athlete with a skill set that suggests he should be more than he is, the former second-round pick out of West Virginia instills zero confidence in anyone with a stake in how the Jets perform.

Over the last two offseasons we've heard about Smith's work ethic and how he's wanted to take ownership of this team, but at this point it's hard to take seriously the notion that he'll unzip himself this summer and step out a new quarterback, one that makes smart decisions, big plays, and wins consistently.

Smith teased the fans at the end of the 2013 season, producing a relatively flawless -- if not unspectacular -- effort at Miami in a 20-7 victory to conclude an 8-8 season. But after an offseason of him saying all the right things he got back to his enigmatic ways on the field, routinely turning the ball over and showing an immaturity that one figured would have dissipated somewhat with his rookie season firmly in his rear-view mirror.

People like to say Smith regressed massively in 2014. I don't necessarily see it that way. He just didn't progress at all. He threw eight fewer interceptions (13) than he did as a rookie, but just one more touchdown (13), and barely cracked 2,500 yards passing a year after tossing 3,046. And while he remains, at least in theory, a dual threat due to his legs, he fumbled 16 times over his first two seasons, losing seven, often while carrying the ball like a loaf of bread.

But there was Smith at the conclusion of his second season, again at Miami, putting up Playstation numbers in a 37-24 win that concluded a 4-12 season that ultimately cost everyone not in a uniform their jobs. Smith put up the NFL's version of a perfect game, completing 20 of 25 for 358 yards and three touchdowns for a quarterback rating of 158.3. And as if on cue, Smith has spent a good part of this offseason telling us everything he thinks we want to hear.

So now we are being asked yet again to be patient with a player who saves his best for when it matters least. Smith putting up monster games under no pressure at the end of lost seasons is like A-Rod hitting a homer with the Yankees down 10 in the ninth. After a while, it gets annoying more than anything else.

The Jets attempted to put in place a true backup plan, but it's hard to really look at Ryan Fitzpatrick as any kind of alternative. I'd like to get excited about the 11-year veteran, but in trusting my head I've come to realize he's in no way the answer to a quarterback question that has haunted the Jets since Joe Namath's best years leading up to the 1969 Super Bowl win.

Sure, Fitzpatrick is a smart guy capable of having some nice moments, but he's never consistently elevated a team, as his 33-55-1 record as a starter attests.

And while he is a competent quarterback that has a positive history with Chan Gailey, the Jets' new offensive coordinator, he doesn't belong at the head of a revamped roster that's quickly become the talk of the NFL.

Someone better does.

The Jets desperately need a star under center, and they simply don't have one. As far as the new front office is concerned, this is no one's fault. Judging by how he's treated rebuilding this team, my guess is Maccagnan looked under every rock to improve the position further, but stumbling upon a productive quarterback doesn't happen every day, and the Jets know that better than anyone.

The irrational among us, and there are many, will want to scream for Bryce Petty if Smith and/or Fitzpatrick fail to launch, but there's a reason why the former star at Baylor went in the fourth round of the draft. And it's a bigger reason than Smith not being picked until the second round in 2013: he's simply got a LOT to learn.

The Jets fan undoubtedly watched the Cotton Bowl, saw Petty throw for 55o yards and three TDs against the Big Ten's Michigan State and immediately started salivating. That performance, while exciting and enticing, doesn't mean he's going to transition easily to the NFL. In fact, there are a lot of people who do player evaluation for a living who think it may take Petty a long time before he's proficient enough to play regularly.

And in some cases, that's a generous assessment.

At this point, the best-case scenario for the Jets is Smith becoming more. Of the quarterbacks on the roster, he remains the one with the most upside.

But Maccagnan's actions this offseason suggest he's not content to rebuild in the traditional sense. The Jets are clearly constructed to make a run at the playoffs, and if they had the quarterback, God only knows what else. If Smith is put on a short leash, so be it. He is supposed to be beyond making rookie mistakes, and since the Jets' new brain trust had nothing to do with bringing him on board, I suspect Bowles won't hesitate to go to Fitzpatrick. Whether it's early September or late November shouldn't make a difference.

The Jets now have a receiving corps that consists of Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, Jeremy Kerley and rookie burner Devin Smith. You'd think someone who wears the red jersey in practice would want to take advantage of that.

Timing has never been the Jets' strength, so it kind of figures the one offseason they literally do everything right there isn't a star quarterback to be found. Geno Smith wants you to believe he can be that guy. Though we should know better, we really have no choice but to let him put his money where his mouth is one last time.

But have no fear friends, I get the feeling this GM is going to eventually find what he's looking for.

And then the real expectations can begin.

Read more columns by Jeff Capellini and follow him on Twitter at @GreenLanternJet

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