New York Jets: Ryan Fitzpatrick or Geno Smith?

The biggest question mark surrounding the New York Jets this season is the quarterback position, so the question remains; should it be Ryan Fitzpatrick or Geno Smith?

The New York Jets have an interesting decision to make. Despite not playing much, Ryan Fitzpatrick looked uninspiring in his first two games. It is widely assumed that Fitzpatrick will lead the Jets somewhere between a mediocre 7-9 to (maybe!) 9-7 start at best. The ceiling is low, but the floor is high in comparison to Geno Smith. Smith has a bottomless pit as his floor, but also the sky is the limit with his athleticism and tools.

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To me, this was an easier decision a week ago. Fitzpatrick would serve as a place holder until Smith is back and ready, and then he can return to the starting lineup. The boom or bust with Smith is more important than an 8-8 season under Fitzpatrick. Either Geno is your guy from now on and the Jets potentially find their franchise QB, or he fails, and fails hard and the team is in a position to draft high and take another chance in QB roulette.

This year’s draft has a lot of Quarterbacks that could potentially be first rounders. Finishing 8-8 doesn’t do much for that, Geno starting is what is best for this team now and for the future.

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While I still believe that to be true, Fitzpatrick’s game against the Giants could be the beginning of a statement that suggests otherwise. Obviously it’s just one game, a preseason game at that; it could mean nothing and right now it does mean nothing.

However, if Fitzpatrick can string a couple of good games together to start the season, it may not be so easy to go back to Smith. I know Bowles has said that it will depend on how Fitzpatrick is playing, but the staff has to know Smith gives the team a higher ceiling. But, if Fitzpatrick exceeds most people’s expectations than we may have seen the last of Smith.

I believe Smith gives the New York Jets the best chance to make the playoffs; I think he can finally put it all together this year. However, he may never get that opportunity. A very winnable game against the Cleveland Browns and then a tough matchup against the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football could make or break Fitzpatrick’s chances at the starting job. If he finishes 1-1 and has two up and down games, I would look for the staff to go back to Smith, but two lights-out performances could shift the tide in Fitz’s favor.

It will be an interesting few weeks with Fitzpatrick at the helm.

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