Another year, another New York Jets quarterback failure. For the third time, head coach Rex Ryan has failed to develop a rookie quarterback into a top NFL player. After Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow, Geno Smith is well on his way to joining the ranks of struggling Jets quarterbacks. As blame begins to be placed on the team struggles, Rex Ryan is getting all of the fingers pointed at him.
Smith has been benched two separate times for poor play. He has not tossed a touchdown pass since before Halloween. He continues to turn the ball over as his interception total his 19 on the season. His highlight reel involves nothing positive an yet, Ryan continues to voice his belief that Smith gives the Jets the best chance at winning.
"I believe in Geno," Ryan said, via New York Daily News. "His perseverance is impressive to me. He'll bounce back from this. I'm just waiting for him to have a great game."
One more loss and the Jets are likely out of playoff contention. Then team officials can begin discussing the future of the team and whether or not that includes Ryan or not. It will have to be determined if Ryan is to blame for the current mess the Jets have found themselves in the past two seasons or whether it is simply just rookie woes plaguing the team.
The Jets are 5-6. They have games against the Dolphins, Browns, Raiders and Panthers on the schedule. Realistically, at least three of those are wins if Smith can string together a few half-decent performances. Ryan is well-aware that a trip to the playoffs saves his job with the Jets, missing out makes him on a hotter seat than he is already sitting on.
Ryan, for now, has the public support of general manager John Idzik. The boss continues to support the head coach despite the struggling season being put together.
"I think he's done very well," Idzik said, ESPN.com. "It's been great working with Rex and his staff. ... Rex has pulled it all together. He's our leader."
Idzik stopped short of endorsing Ryan's job for the future, simply saying the team was living in the moment and would think about next season when 2013 was over. The offseason could come with a lot of decisions for Idzik. The Jets must determine if Smith really is the quarterback of the future. Is Mark Sanchez worth trading away for someone in the draft? Is Ryan really the right man for the job?
At the center of all this is Smith. If he can step up and improve, everything gets easier for the Jets. If he turns the ball over twice in the first half of Week 14's game, everyone should panic.
