The numbers, to put it gently, aren’t pretty. In 27 starts, 28 TD passes, 31 INTs, a QB rating in the low 70s and a win-loss mark of 10-17.
No, those unsightly figures don’t belong next to Geno Smith’s name. They’re what Drew Brees put up in his first two years as a starting QB in the NFL. Brees was bad enough over those two seasons that the San Diego Chargers decided they needed to replace him, and used the top pick in the 2004 draft to select Eli Manning (then traded for Philip Rivers).
Smith’s numbers over his first two years in the NFL look remarkably similar to those of Brees, who will be wearing an ugly yellow blazer in Canton in a few years. Smith: 29 starts, 25 TDs, 34 INTs, a QB rating in the low 70s and a win-loss mark of 11-18.
No, I don’t think Smith will ever be the next Drew Brees. Frankly, I don’t think the Jets’ fourth-year man will ever be good enough to consistently start for any franchise. But the point is, your first two years as a pro QB doesn’t necessarily determine who you’ll be down the road. I would put up the early numbers of John Elway, Troy Aikman and myriad others to reinforce my point, but I bet you’d rather watch a fourth presidential debate than have to suffer through that.
Smith obviously has talent, and there’s always the possibility he’ll get better. However, unless he makes a 180-degree turn in the next few weeks, he won’t be doing so for the team that drafted him. Mike Maccagnan will let Smith -- who he didn’t draft -- leave about as surely as the Jets GM will wave goodbye to Ryan Fitzpatrick at season’s end.
Of course, this makes me wonder why Todd Bowles has ceded his team to Smith for the next 10 games. Yes, Fitz has been worse than awful, and yes, with the playoffs all but an impossibility, it makes sense to try someone else at the most important position on the field. But why Smith -- a guy who has no future in the Big Apple?
Bowles says third-stringer Bryce Petty -- who may actually have a future here -- isn’t ready to play, as the second-year player has only recently come off a shoulder injury. OK, that makes sense … up to a point. Can Petty get enough reps in practice that he can be ready to start in a few weeks? If not, then it’s even more head-scratching, although I’ve already bored a hole in my cranium from doing that incessantly over this team.
Sports
By all accounts, Petty may not be ready, but he’s way more prepared to take the reins than rookie Christian Hackenberg. Hopefully, with Fitz now in the rear-view mirror, Hackenberg can get practice time -- and some game time too -- before this season is mercifully over.
With this season in the trash heap, it’s clearly time to look ahead. Instead, with Smith at QB, the Jets are looking back.
