When the Philadelphia Eagles decided not to take West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith with the 36th pick in the NFL draft, once again, the Jets knew they were about to get their man.
Rumors that had been swirling for a couple days became as intense as a tornado, Friday afternoon, that the Jets coveted Smith and were even looking to trade up in the second round to get him.
They didn't have to.
Smith fell to the Jets at 39, and Gang Green snagged what is now the latest addition to the Jets' quarterback version of musical chairs.
Smith received a mix of cheers and boos from a Jets fan-base which is understandably divided and puzzled by the Jets thinking. Who can blame them? The Jets have gone from Brett Favre to Mark Sanchez to Tim Tebow to Greg McElroy and now Smith in a period of five years.
Those thinking that Woody Johnson doesn't have an impact on this draft, think again -- Johnson loves headlines, and his Jets have made headlines for the second straight day at this draft. On Thursday the Jets made headlines nabbing Darrelle Revis' replacement in oft-injured Dee Milliner.
No matter how you cut it the Jets are not going to go into the preseason with six quarterbacks on the roster. Currently the Jets quarterback situation would be ok if Gang Green were a baseball team -- they would then have a full rotation with Sanchez, Tebow, David Garrard, McElory, and Smith. And don't forget about Matt Simms.
Obviously Simms is not going to be a Jet too much longer, but the real question is what do the Jets do with the other five, much more high profile, quarterbacks on this roster? Do the Jets cut Sanchez and risk taking a $12 million cap hit? Do they finally release Tebow from the dungeons of Atlantic Heath Center? Do they cut ties with McElory and Garrard? Does Garrard become the starter to mentor Smith?
So many questions, the most intriguing of which is Sanchez.
Mark Sanchez has shown that he is not a franchise quarterback. His play has gotten increasingly worse over the last two years, and the stats show it; he's turned the ball over 52 times since 2011. The Sanchez defenders always point to the two AFC championship runs that Sanchez was apart of, but let's be real, Sanchez didn't lead that team to those two games--it was the Jets running game and defense.
With Geno Smith in town, it means that Sanchez's days are now numbered.
The Jets are rumored to be thinking about trading or cutting him, but if they do, they take that huge cap hit. If the Jets are comfortable getting rid of Sanchez and his contract, and knew they were getting rid of him, then why did they feel the need to trade Darrelle Revis -- who is more worthy of the kind of money Sanchez is being paid? Again, so many puzzling questions, so little answers.
As for Tebow, the Jets have no reason to keep him on the roster. The Tebow experiment has been a tortured and failed experiment that has both hurt the Jets own credibility and destroyed Tebow's NFL stock value. Nobody is going to trade for him -- the Jets should just release him from his contract. Tebow doesn't hurt the Jets' cap in any way. Just let Tebow go.
Also, with the drafting of Geno Smith, this could mean renewed life for coach Rex Ryan. It has been assumed by many, including this writer, that Ryan was on his last legs as the coach of the Jets in 2013. However, the Jets drafted on the defensive side of the ball -- Ryan's specialty -- and now have a new franchise quarterback with Ryan still in place as the coach. Why would John Idzik draft a franchise quarterback now with Ryan still as coach, if he and Woody Johnson want a new head coach come 2014?
Remember last season we all thought that Mike Shanahan could be in trouble in Washington until they drafted Robert Griffin III -- giving Shanahan renewed life as the HC in DC. If Smith lives up to the billing as this class's top quarterback, Ryan could stick around a year longer than expected. Then again this is the Jets we're talking about.
Another interesting aspect of this pick is this: The Jets have a new quarterback, but they still have the same problems. They have no offensive line, no running game, and no wide receivers, except Santonio Holmes. The Jets could have and probably should have drafted Alabama running back Eddie Lacy who would have given New York a legit running back to help the offense. Lacy was drafted at the end of the second round by Green Bay.
Now the Jets have to hope that the draft leftovers produce some good offensive lineman, such as Brian Winters, whom they drafted with the 72nd pick, and a running back. That will be tough, because the best players at the positions of offensive line and running back are long gone.
Regardless Geno is in, and Sanchez is on his way outta town.
JETS Acquire Ivory From Saints:
The Jets continue to wheel and deal in this 2013 NFL draft.
The latest news is that the Jets have acquired New Orleans Saints back-up running back Chris Ivory for New York's fourth round pick in this year's draft.
The Jets are expected to sign him to a long term deal, but that would be pretty insane considering Ivory has never been an every down back.
In fact that is the big hit on Ivory. He's never had more than 137 carries in a season, when he played in 12 games, starting only four back in 2010. Ivory has only had 119 carries for 591 yards combined the last two seasons.
If the Jets think Ivory can become their next Curtis Martin, they are making a really, really big gamble. The Jets don't have a legit every down back on the roster, and if they are satisfied carrying Ivory, Mike Goodson and Joe McKnight on the roster next season -- the Jets running game will continue to struggle.
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