Before New York signed Ryan Fitzpatrick to a one-year contract, I wrote an article titled, “Geno Smith: The Time is Now to be the Jets QB.” I believed that Geno was primed to be the starter. But, like all great coaches, players and writers, one must be able to adjust on the fly. My position has changed; I no longer want Smith on the team’s roster for opening day, and I’ll tell you why.
Fitz will be gone after this season, so the Jets have to start grooming their next QB. 2nd-year Pro Bryce Petty, out of Baylor University, appears to be the front-runner. In week 2 of the preseason, Petty was 16-of-26 for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns. The scouting report on Petty coming out of college had him rated pretty high. His strengths were his size (6-foot-3, 230 pounds), deep ball accuracy and competitiveness. His biggest weakness; Baylor did not run a “pro-style” offense. He was only asked to make one read per play in college. In the NFL, a QB often has to go to his 2nd or 3rd option while maintaining composure as the defense is closing in. It will take some time to learn to read NFL defenses, but Petty has matured since his rookie season and the game has slowed down for him.
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The Jets have four QB’s on their active roster; Fitz, Petty, Smith and 2nd-round draft pick Christian Hackenberg. Some teams, like the Patriots, use only two QB’s, so having four in the lineup is a unique situation.
With the starting QB getting most of the repetitions in practice and games, there isn’t a lot of playing time for the 2nd stringer. That being said, those limited snaps should go to Petty. If he is ever going to develop into a legitimate NFL quarterback, he has got to follow Fitz around like a shadow. Petty should be going over game plans, watching film and be an active part on the sidelines during the games. If Geno Smith was going to be the starter, it would have happened already. At this point, there is no reason to have him on the team. His presence now only hinders the development of Petty and Hackenberg, because he clearly serves as the #2 starter.
When the Jets drafted Petty in the 4th round, this is exactly what I thought the plan would be: Have him sit behind a veteran for two years and take over the job in his 3rd season. Smith gave it a good shot, but Petty should be the future of this team.
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