Losing Geno Smith could be a blessing in disguise for the New York Jets
At 32, Fitzpatrick is hardly the franchise quarterback the Jets hope to have in Smith, but he could very well be the best fit if New York wants to win now. Fitzpatrick outperformed Smith in 2014, throwing for three more touchdowns (17) and five fewer interceptions (8) than the starter.
The Jets had hoped to use 2015 to determine whether Smith was a player to build a franchise around. Fitzpatrick lacks Smith’s potential longevity, but he brings a far more polished and competent set of skills.
Now, thanks to an IK Enemkpali punch, Fitzpatrick can showcase those skills and put the Jets in a position to pull themselves from the wreckage of a woeful 4-12 2014. It’s not the circumstances under which anyone in the Jets organization would have wanted to reach this conclusion, but at least they are arriving.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that the Jets continue to pay for the sins of John Idzik and Rex Ryan and the team is still a clown show. Idzik and Ryan brought Enemkpali to New York in the 2014 draft.
This, after his 2011 arrest and conviction on a simple battery charge after punching a police officer. This, after Sheldon Richardson – already suspended four game for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy – was arrested for driving his car 143-MPH with a 12-year-old in the passenger seat and a loaded handgun.
Coach Todd Bowles was hired to end the clown show, to restore order to the chaos, and a semblance of respectability to an organization that values its perception greatly. Players like Nick Mangold can attest to the positive locker room environment, and chalk Tuesday’s events up to an isolated anomaly. But at what point do all of these anomalies become a trend?
The good news is the Jets have a better chance of winning a few more games this year. The bad news is they are still the same dysfunctional organization they’ve always been.
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