The New York Jets made a move in the 2013 draft to grab Geno Smith who had fallen out of the first round. Some thought it might be the steal of the draft while others doubted the former West Virginia quarterback's potential to be a star at the next level. The Jets were hoping for the steal after they struggled with both Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow just a season before. However, now into his second year, the experiment is failing, causing New York to re-evaluate their talent at the quarterback position.
Smith continues to struggle with mistakes which caused his benching in Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills. The Jets then announced that Michael Vick would remain the starter for at least Week 9 if not longer. General manager John Idzik was not expecting this type of play in 2014 and now he is wondering whether or not Smith is the real deal.
Idzik addressed the media on the current state of the New York Jets and told SNY that he was uncertain if the franchise quarterback was on the roster right now. While Idzik said that Smith could easily become that player, there is also a chance he does not.
"Don't know that. Don't know that," Idzik said, via SNY. "That's still to be determined. You don't wanna try to answer that question too prematurely, especially when you're dealing with a younger quarterback in Geno. When you're dealing with a younger quarterback, or at any position, but specifically at quarterback, there are going to be rough times. Very rarely do you get the plug and play player in this league, much less at the most difficult position. It's a matter of seeing them through those rough times and hoping those rough times become fewer and farther between, and the type of mistakes they make, they don't repeat those mistakes. That's what we're going through now. We will continue with the development curve and we will continue searching. We'll continue to try to enhance that position in any way we can."
At the moment, the Jets have one win to their name which puts them in a solid spot for a high draft pick. That means the team could opt to take another quarterback. There is no shame in admitting a failed experiment and right now, Smith is failed experiment. The 2015 NFL Draft is heavy at the quarterback spot once again. Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Bo Wallace, Blake Sims and Brett Hundley are just a few of the names available for the taking come the spring and the Jets would be wise to take a serious look.
