It’s probably fair to say that Bowles is an outlier when it comes to confidence in Smith’s ability to handle the starting job, but there’s not really another way for the coach to go when discussing the possibility that Smith has to play.
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“It was a thought, but it wasn’t a serious thought”, Bowles said. “But you have to wait until Wednesday to see what his pain tolerance is”. At what point does Smith become the better option?
Meanwhile, the Texans had just given the Cincinnati Bengals their first taste of defeat this season with a low-scoring 10-6 Monday Night Football victory at the Paul Brown Stadium, via ESPN.
Asked if Richardson’s sore hamstring will keep him out against Houston, Bowles said: “Too early to tell right now”.
Despite having surgery, Fitzpatrick is not expecting to miss a game, especially their Week 11 matchup where they will take on his former team, the Houston Texans. But the Jets seem clear about one thing: A limited Fitzpatrick will start in Houston on Sunday over a healthy Geno Smith, so long as he can step on the field.
Bowles said it’s conceivable that Fitzpatrick could practice only once (Friday) and get the start, depending on how he looks. “I’m not a doctor”.
“I’m not sure”, Bowles said. Coach Rex Ryan will be speaking after practice.
Fitzpatrick has been the Jets’ starting quarterback following the physical altercation original starter Geno Smith was involved in during training camp, where he was punched and suffered a broken jaw which required surgery to fix. “From what I heard, I don’t think it was anything disrespectful and that he didn’t fire back”, Bowles said. “He’s made great progress, he learned a lot under Ryan, he threw the ball well at Oakland for the most part”.
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Clearly, Bowles would rather not see it come to that.
