Lichtenstein: Geno Or Vick? I've Got News For You — It Doesn't Matter
By Steve Lichtenstein
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Can there be a quarterback controversy without any controversy?
After all, it doesn't really matter who takes the snaps from center for the New York Jets when they travel to Kansas City next Sunday.
The mood of all Jets fans following Sunday's 43-23 defeat at the hands of visiting Buffalo—a show that was more horrific than anything the major motion picture studios will put out on screens this Halloween—should now move past disgust into apathy.
Seven straight losses have isolated Gang Green so far out of the playoff race that the remainder of the season is meaningless. Why even debate the merits of who is the better quarterback between Geno Smith and Michael Vick?
And don't get fooled again--nothing will happen down this season's stretch that will make me believe that the Jets' quarterback of the future is on this roster.
We know Smith isn't the answer. He's made little progress this sophomore campaign despite a full offseason and training camp with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg to work through all the mistakes we tolerated last year because he was a rookie. In San Diego three weeks ago, Smith's beyond ineffectual first-half play finally forced coach Rex Ryan to pull him from a game.
Smith couldn't even make it out of the first quarter on Sunday. Three interceptions on three consecutive drives had Ryan running for cover in the form of Vick.
Except that we also know that Vick isn't the Jets' long-term solution to their long-running (since pre-Achilles injury Vinny Testaverde in 1998) franchise quarterback problem either.
Vick engineered some nice drives in the second quarter, but we were also reminded why the Eagles let him go in the offseason in an effective swap for Mark Sanchez.
Vick is also turnover-prone--his interception and two lost fumbles proved costly, especially the two gifts to the Bills near the end of the third quarter that turned a manageable game into a blowout.
Not that Vick or Smith had much help. The running game stats show a total of 175 yards gained, but much of that was accumulated by Vick while scrambling for his life. Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson—the Jets' two main ball-carriers—averaged just 3.1 yards on 15 attempts.
The line was leaky. Savior-to-be Percy Harvin was camouflaged within a group of receivers who couldn't get much separation against a suspect Bills secondary.
And don't get me started on Ryan's defense. Six turnovers put them in many tough spots, but let's not forget that this unit surrendered three long touchdown drives to journeyman quarterback Kyle Orton minus his top two running backs.
The play that epitomized the Jets' season occurred early in the second quarter right after Vick led the Jets on a touchdown drive that somehow trimmed the deficit of this debacle to one score. The Bills were backed up at their own 11 and facing a third-and-seven.
On the right side of their defensive line, the Jets showed blitz. With a player wearing number 15.
For those unfamiliar, that's Saalim Hakim, who is listed third on the Jets' depth chart—at wide receiver.
At the snap, Hakim of course didn't blitz, but instead started a sprint deep down the middle of the field. Unfortunately, the Bills star rookie receiver Sammy Watkins was also running at full speed--and at a faster clip--toasting cornerback Darren Walls in the process.
Watkins would have scored after grabbing the Orton bomb but for a showboating exhibition that allowed Hakim to trip him up at the 5-yard line.
The Bills still got the six points two plays later and Watkins redeemed himself in the fourth quarter when he split Walls and rookie safety Calvin Pryor for a 61-yard touchdown catch-and-run.
But the larger point is why in the world did Ryan call on Saalim Hakim of all people to cover the deep zone on such an important play?
This garbage has been going on all season. He keeps asking his secondary, most of whom belong on the unemployment line, to do the same things he used to ask of pros like Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.
Ryan can talk all he wants about his team's effort and "great week of preparation" (of course it appeared that way—they were facing the Jets!). The bottom line is that this team has been poorly managed in addition to being poorly constructed.
Fellow fans, as I have noted many times in this forum, general manager John Idzik has wasted our football season. The Jets' talent deficiency versus the teams they have played is beyond a joke.
It wouldn't be shocking if we found out that owner Woody Johnson spurred the Harvin trade (the move was totally un-Idzik) by laying into his GM out of fear that fans would stay away from MetLife Stadium over the final half of the season, thereby depriving the business of valuable parking and concessions revenues.
Still, did anyone really think that the Jets' attack would magically morph into an NFL-caliber offense overnight with the Harvin acquisition? Because of the Jets' quarterback situation, it was the equivalent of obtaining a nuclear missile for a helicopter.
It was Idzik who drafted Smith in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft and it was Idzik who brought over Vick to give the appearance of a quarterback competition.
Except that it really wasn't a competition. Smith was anointed the starter and Vick understood his role as mentor and emergency understudy. The Jets rolled the dice with Smith and crapped out.
So now I don't care who Ryan chooses to start next game—or any other game this season for that matter. There can be no controversy when the only meaningful decision facing this franchise is whether or not Johnson blows the whole thing up.
For a FAN's perspective of the Nets, Jets and the NHL, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1.
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