If you made millions of dollars every year at your job, wouldn't you do everything you could to save your job if your boss was breathing down your neck, expecting an improvement in your performance?
That's the situation Rex Ryan finds himself in at the moment, as his New York Jets are stumbling yet again. Ryan likely won't make it to the 2015 season without a turnaround in his team's fortunes, which is apparently why he's decided to make a change at quarterback.
I say "apparently why" because there are no good, legitimate reasons to bench in this article.
If Smith were to not take another snap this season, here's the company he would keep when considering Total NEP (which includes rushing data) after his first two seasons.
| Player | Total NEP Through Two Seasons |
|---|---|
| Brandon Weeden | -34.57 |
| Anthony Wright | -38.42 |
| Mark Sanchez | -39.81 |
| Matt Moore | -43.68 |
| Matthew Stafford | -43.78 |
| Quincy Carter | -44.12 |
| Patrick Ramsey | -47.17 |
| Rob Johnson | -52.11 |
| Josh McCown | -54.08 |
| Drew Brees | -54.16 |
| Jim Miller | -54.37 |
| Geno Smith | -58.26 |
| J.P. Losman | -67.08 |
| Ryan Fitzpatrick | -73.28 |
| John Skelton | -81.85 |
Obviously that list doesn't spark a lot of hope for Jets fans, but the presence of names like Stafford, Brees and even Fitzpatrick should provide some sort of hope that the young quarterback could turn things around despite an inauspicious start.
Because the worst part about relegating Geno Smith to the bench, for the Jets as an organization, is that they're taking a young quarterback playing better than he did the year before out of the lineup, and putting in an old quarterback playing worse than he has in a decade.
But when a coach is on the hot seat, the decisions don't always have to benefit the organization at large. They just have to benefit the coach's effort to keep his job.
Do I think Geno Smith will have a Drew Brees' like turnaround in his career? Probably not. But I also don't think that Michael Vick gives the Jets a better chance to win football games in 2014, and he's certainly not the future at the position for a franchise that was able to earn AFC title game berths with Mark Sanchez under center.
The Jets' problems run deeper than the quarterback spot on the depth chart, as they're currently our 24th-ranked defense to go with all of their offensive issues. And by making this change under center, the Jets are throwing away the only thing resembling a lottery ticket they had on offense, instead opting to go with a declining veteran quarterback with no future ahead of him.
I'm not a proponent of simply letting a young quarterback play forever just because he's young and might get better. But in this case, it's clear that Smith is a better player than Vick, and does have some unknown years ahead of him that could bring better football than what we've seen through his first season and a half.
So good luck to whoever coaches the Jets next year. Be sure you've watched plenty of Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston tape before signing the dotted line for that job.