Pace On Fans Hoping Jets Lose: 'One Draft Pick Isn't Going To Change Things'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Jets fans are living in a fantasy world right now. In it, the team loses just enough of their final three games to ensure the selection of one of the top two quarterbacks available in the 2015 draft.
And while that could very well happen, veteran linebacker Calvin Pace doesn't buy the logic.
"One draft pick isn't going to change things," Pace told reporters following Jets practice on Thursday.
The fans might beg to differ, considering the Jets are suffering through an absolutely dreadful season largely because they've gotten very little from the most important position on the field. Many believe that the Jets somehow getting their hands on Heisman Trophy finalist Marcus Mariota of Oregon or reigning Heisman winner Jameis Winston of Florida State will give the franchise something it hasn't had since perhaps the heyday of Ken O'Brien -- a franchise quarterback.
Pace, however, said it's not that simple.
"If you end up with a high draft pick, that guy still has to get seasoned and become a pro," Pace said. "Very few times you see guys come in and change a franchise. It's a little bit more to it than that."
Pace's comments came just a day after news outlets reported starter Geno Smith saying he feels as if he's shown flashes of being a "Pro Bowl-caliber" quarterback, a statement that was met with blank stares all over the Internet.
As it stands now, the Jets are one of five teams sitting at 2-11, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, and this week's opponent, the Tennessee Titans. The Jets then conclude the season at home against the New England Patriots and at the Miami Dolphins.
No one really knows for sure what the Jets' offseason game plan will be. It has been widely speculated that head coach Rex Ryan will be fired after missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, and that second-year general manager John Idzik could be on his way out, too, for numerous failures that have contributed to this lost season.
Owner Woody Johnson told the Daily News on Wednesday he's considering all options. It remains to be seen if drafting or somehow acquiring a new quarterback is on his to-do list.
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