Today New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles was very up front when discussion his teams situation at quarterback: even when Geno Smith gets healthy, Ryan Fitzpatrick is the starter.
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Smith broke his silence about the incident with Enemkpali last week, saying he is “extremely pissed” he lost the starting job because of the punch, not because of his play. Thanks to a new leadership regime and culture, you can clearly see the players are executing, having fun all while really believing in what the Jets are trying to accomplish this season.
Fitzpatrick never has been and won’t ever be spectacular, but he’s steady, and with a defense as strong as the Jets’ could be, that’s all they need.
Fitzpatrick stepped into the role and led the Jets to a victory in their opening match against the Cleveland Browns and continued his composed start in their win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Still, Smith is only 24 years old and could have a future in the league.
“I thought he did a good job managing the ball game”, Bowles said.
Fitzpatrick has made the most of his opportunity since taking over in Smith’s absence. He’s doing just enough to win, and the Jets are smart to not mess with it.
Bowles seemed to be speaking in the here and now, with Smith still not ready. He wasn’t near offensive coordinator Chan Gailey or even Bowles. But Fitzpatrick has shined these past two weeks enough to earn the job, and the Jets are smart to give it to him.
In two seasons as the Jets starter, Smith has thrown for 5,571 yards with 25 touchdowns and 34 interceptions after being taken 39th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft.
December 21, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, US ; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) drops back to pass against the New England Patriots in the first quarter during the game at MetLife Stadium.
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Ryan Fitzpatrick has completed 63.8 percent of his passes through the season’s first two contests. “So once he gets back into that flow, I think it’ll start coming back to him pretty good”.
