With all the hand-wringing over Todd Bowles’s decision to start Ryan Fitzpatrick over Bryce Petty on Sunday, you’d think that Petty was the second coming of Tom Brady.
He’s not. At this point, he doesn’t even appear to be the second coming of Fitzpatrick.
Yes, the Amish Rifle has misfired a ton this season, and since he’s all but certain not to be back in the Big Apple in 2017, the reasoning goes, why not give Petty a chance to show what he can do with the 3-7 Jets a near-certainty to miss the playoffs.
But lost in all the mostly one-sided debate about who should be Gang Green’s starting QB is something about which there’s no debate: Fitz is clearly better than his backup. The grizzled vet gives his team a better chance of beating the Patriots. So what else is there to discuss?
Yes, it’s astonishingly unlikely that the Jets will win their last half-dozen games to finish the season with a winning record. And even if they do somehow make it to 9-7 -- and that "if" is so big that it should have its own page -- they’ll still likely be out of the money, as it appears nothing short of 10 wins will get you a Wild Card spot this time around. But isn’t it worth a shot?
If I were Bowles, I’d put Fitz on the NFL equivalent of double-secret probation: you can play until you lose. 9-7 is one thing. 8-8 is something entirely different. No one’s getting remotely close to a Wild Card berth at .500 this season. As soon as ol’ No. 14 notches that eighth defeat -- and we all know that will probably happen at MetLife Stadium this weekend -- then glue him to the bench and let the kid play.
Petty will have still have plenty of time to show what he can do. He didn’t exactly set the world on fire against the Rams, leading the offense to a mere 6 points against an admittedly staunch defense. And if he really is the Jets’ future, then I’m sure the franchise’s fans would prefer to just keep hitting rewind -- all the way back to the Joe Namath days.
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Petty needs to get on the field. So does Christian Hackenberg, however frightened the coaching staff is about throwing the rookie QB to the lions. Either Petty or Hackenberg will need to prove they can competently play quarterback in the NFL, or Mike Maccagnan will be forced to search yet again for a new signal-caller. And if the GM is again in position to do that, I have one word for him: crowdsourcing. The masses can’t possibly be any worse at picking a quarterback than the Jets front office has been.
However, neither of them needs to play against the hated Pats, when Fitz gives them the best chance at a W. He should keep starting, just as long as he wins. It’s a rare no-lose situation for the Jets.
