New York Jets’ coach Rex Ryan
must be asking himself “I don’t want to lose my job. I was given one more
chance to “work” with Geno, who I know is terrible, but I had no choice. I have
to work with what I am given, even when I know I’m in a no-win situation. If I
stick with Geno, I lose. If I bench Geno, I will still lose, because I’ll lose
the support of these nincompoops in the front office who didn’t take seriously
all of the negatives about this guy before draft day.
“To make matters even worse for
me, all these smart-guy commentators keep saying that I can’t bench the “kid”
because it will ruin his “delicate” psyche as a young quarterback. Well, they
haven’t seen what I’ve seen, and there is nothing “delicate” about this guy
except his hair-pulling so-called decision-making skills. This guy is aloof and
full-of-himself, who doesn’t want to learn what he doesn’t know. He thinks he
is Superman out there, even when he stinks up the stadium.
“Well, what about my job? Don’t I
have a say in any of this? But no. I have to say the ‘right’ things, even when
no one can see that I am being crushed by the cruel and inhuman irony of it all.”
If Ryan was thinking any of those
thoughts after Smith stunk up the joint to the delight of San Diego’s home
crowd, who could blame him? Smith was 4 of 12 passing for 27 yards and one
interception for a 7.6 passer rating. Although Michael Vick was only “marginally”
better in relief, the comparison stats were instructive in that Vick obviously
didn’t get much work in with the first team offense. In six possessions with
Smith in charge, The Jets ran 21 plays for a net of 50 total yards. With Vick, in
six possessions the Jets doubled those numbers, albeit mostly in “junk” time.
I admit that the stats could
easily be “misconstrued,” but the fact is that once Vick got some kind of
footing, the Jets were able to move the ball beyond the spastic stage in their
last two possessions. Whether or not that means a change is in the offing next
week against the Broncos is a matter more if winning is more important to the
Jets than Geno’s “hurt” feelings—and believe you me, Peyton Manning won’t give
a flip about Geno’s “feelings” next week.
But all of this was predictable.
In four straight losses, Smith has an even worse passer rating (62.1) than he
did in his rookie season. Despite an 8-8 record last season, the Jets were much
worse than that, being outscored by 97
points. This record was a mirage if ever; two horrendous calls by officials at
the end of games against Tampa Bay and New England gave the Jets victories, and
wins against Atlanta and New Orleans were give-aways. The Jets were a 4-12 team
last season; their final record was a Potemkin facade. This year’s team is what
last year’s team should have looked like. The warning signs were all there—and still
there are those who refuse to see reality. Is Geno really worth all the “empathy”
he has been showered with? To quote Obi-Wan Kenobi—who is the real fool—the fool
or the fool who follows him?
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