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Checkdowns: How to Fix the Jets

What are the biggest problems facing the Jets? What should GM John Idzik do in the offseason? Should Rex Ryan be fired? Jets fan and friend of the program Jason McIntyre reached out to me, Jason of NYJetsCap.com and OvertheCap.com, and Brian Bassett of The Jets Blog for our thoughts.

One of the questions was whether Geno Smith was the quarterback of the future for the Jets. Here was my answer:

No question is harder than determining when to give up on a quarterback. There’s no right answer: give up too soon, and you miss out on Drew Brees; wait too long, and you have four years of Mark Sanchez. It’s not really “fair” to give up on a quarterback after one season, particularly one saddled with such a weak supporting cast. On the other hand, that’s exactly what the Jets did with Kellen Clemens. Drew Stanton was the 43rd pick in the draft and he’s started 4 games – is that “fair”?

My favorite part of Smith’s game is that (at least, when he’s not being neutered by the coaching staff) he’s a gunslinger at heart. Did you know that Smith’s average pass travels 9.7 yards in the air, the third highest number in the league? The average Smith completion travels 7.87 yards in the air and has 4.85 yards of YAC (which ranks only 24th); as a result, his 12.7 yards per completion ranks seventh in the league. I at least think there’s a chance that when his line is better and he has legitimate downfield weapons, he could be a very good quarterback. The issue, of course, is how long do you wait to find that out?

You can read the full article here.

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