New York Jets: 5 Reasons They Could Miss Postseason

Quarterback Situation

May 27, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) and New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) during organized team activities at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

When looking around the NFL, the one common thing among the best teams is that they have a standout player at quarterback. The Jets have done an outstanding job of upgrading their roster this offseason, but one glaring weakness still remains, and that unfortunately is at the quarterback position.

Currently on the roster, the Jets have Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bryce Petty and Jake Heaps. None of those players instill much confidence in the fan base, and rightfully so. Smith has been a little bit of a disappointment since being drafted in the second round in 2013. Last season he was benched on a couple of occasions for Michael Vick even, as Rex Ryan was attempting to save his job and opted for the veteran, thinking he had a better chance of achieving that. With Smith, the talent is there, but he seems to crumble at times, especially when facing pressure. He seems to be lacking that it factor it takes for a quarterback to reach that next level.

But, in their defense, neither had much of a chance to save Ryan’s job as the talent around them was lackluster. There is only so much the quarterback could do without talent around him or blocking in front of him.

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In Fitzpatrick, the Jets have yet another veteran that could push Smith for the starting job He has starting experience under Gailey from their time together with the Buffalo Bills, and is a good fit for the pistol offense that Gailey is more than likely installing. But, at this stage of his career, the gunslinger is nothing more than a placeholder. If he ends up starting a majority of the games, he will make a couple of plays with both his arm and legs to save the Jets, but will make just as many to hurt them as well.

Petty and Heaps are both projects for the Jets. Petty, their fourth round pick from this past draft, has a long way to go as he transitions from a spread offense at Baylor to a pro-style system with the Jets that he will be under center with more. If either player starts games for the Jets in 2015, having whatever defense they are playing against in your fantasy lineup will more than likely result in a win by itself.

Smith has the most potential of this group, but there is no promise that the new coaching staff will be able to coax the potential out of him any better than Ryan and his staff was. This is arguably the biggest question mark on the team, and would be the leading reason they miss the postseason in 2015.

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