New York Jets: Geno Smith will start again in 2015
The New York Jets are off to a strong start, posting a 2-1 record over the first three weeks of the season. They have boasted an opportunistic defense and an offense that has put up the points it has needed to win. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been the starting quarterback, posting a completion percentage greater than 60%.
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Last week, Fitzpatrick came back to Earth, throwing two touchdown passes versus three interceptions. On the year his touchdown to interception ratio is 6:5, which feels very familiar to Jets’ fans. There have already been rumblings among the Jets’ fan base about Fitzpatrick forcing too many passes to Brandon Marshall, and according to the NY Daily News, the team is concerned about his ability to connect with the deep ball.
Geno Smith was active last week, for the first time in 2015, serving as the number two for the game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Geno Smith is a very sore topic among Jets’ fans, mainly because of his extreme play. He has gone from throwing multiple red zone interceptions to posting perfect quarterback ratings, as he did in week 17 last season.
Here is some news that Jets’ fans aren’t going to like, but it’s something we all need to hear.
Geno Smith will start for the Jets, before 2015 ends.
Why? Because Ryan Fitzpatrick is who he is. Take a look at Ryan’s career stats from NFL.com:
| Career Stats | |||||||||||||||||||
| Season | Team | Passing | Rushing | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||
| G | GS | Comp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Sck | SckY | Rate | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | FUM | Lost | ||
| 2015 | New York Jets | 3 | 3 | 72 | 116 | 62.1 | 706 | 6.1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 78.4 | 7 | 18 | 2.6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | Houston Texans | 12 | 12 | 197 | 312 | 63.1 | 2,483 | 8.0 | 17 | 8 | 21 | 83 | 95.3 | 50 | 184 | 3.7 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2013 | Tennessee Titans | 11 | 9 | 217 | 350 | 62.0 | 2,454 | 7.0 | 14 | 12 | 21 | 109 | 82.0 | 43 | 225 | 5.2 | 3 | 9 | 2 |
| 2012 | Buffalo Bills | 16 | 16 | 306 | 505 | 60.6 | 3,400 | 6.7 | 24 | 16 | 30 | 161 | 83.3 | 48 | 197 | 4.1 | 1 | 8 | 6 |
| 2011 | Buffalo Bills | 16 | 16 | 353 | 569 | 62.0 | 3,832 | 6.7 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 148 | 79.1 | 56 | 215 | 3.8 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| 2010 | Buffalo Bills | 13 | 13 | 255 | 441 | 57.8 | 3,000 | 6.8 | 23 | 15 | 24 | 145 | 81.8 | 40 | 269 | 6.7 | 0 | 8 | 5 |
| 2009 | Buffalo Bills | 10 | 8 | 127 | 227 | 55.9 | 1,422 | 6.3 | 9 | 10 | 21 | 127 | 69.7 | 31 | 141 | 4.5 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 2008 | Cincinnati Bengals | 13 | 12 | 221 | 372 | 59.4 | 1,905 | 5.1 | 8 | 9 | 38 | 193 | 70.0 | 60 | 304 | 5.1 | 2 | 11 | 5 |
| 2007 | Cincinnati Bengals | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2006 | St. Louis Rams | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | — | — |
| 2005 | St. Louis Rams | 4 | 3 | 76 | 135 | 56.3 | 777 | 5.8 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 49 | 58.2 | 14 | 64 | 4.6 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 1,824 | 3,027 | 60.3 | 19,979 | 6.6 | 129 | 106 | 188 | 1,023 | 79.4 | 352 | 1,617 | 4.6 | 11 | 55 | 24 |
Sep 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) throws a pass against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Fitzpatrick is just that, Ryan Fitzpatrick. Take a look at his career TD:INT ratio. 129:106 is a positive ratio, but it isn’t huge. Look at the breakdown through the seasons and it becomes clearer. Fitzpatrick has started all 16 games twice in his career. In 2012, he did throw 24 touchdowns vs. 16 interceptions. In 2011, he led the league in interceptions with 23. In both seasons, his team posted a 6-10 record.
Ryan Fitzpatrick’s career record as a starting quarterback is 35-56-1.
That’s not very good, is it folks?
Now contrast that with everyone’s favorite quarterback, Geno Smith. Yes, his touchdown to interception ratio is 25:34. But, he has posted five games with a passer rating of greater than 90. Geno has also posted multiple come from behind wins. His completion percentage increased by four points from year one to year two, from 55% to 59%.
Geno Smith has shown a leadership ability, albeit in flashes, that can’t be taught.
The point is that mediocre play from Ryan Fitzpatrick shouldn’t surprise anyone. This is who he is, and who he has been for his entire career.
Todd Bowles has stated publicly that Ryan Fitzpatrick is the starter for now. The fact is that Geno Smith has more upside than Ryan Fitzpatrick. It may not be what Jets’ fans want to admit, but it’s the truth.
If Ryan Fitzpatrick plays like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith will start again in 2015.
Be ready.
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