Back when we were putting together the magazine, the tricky thing was trying to figure out who the Jets starting quarterback would be. We knew coordinator Chan Gailey would be able to cobble together a solid passing game, and either Geno Smith or Ryan Fitzpatrick would benefit. But which one?
Well, that battle was decided off the field rather than on it, as Geno Smith will be sidelined for 6-10 weeks with a broken jaw after being punched by a teammate. A teammate at the time; the player was released shortly after the incident. No, it wasn't Brandon Marshall, but someone named IK Enemkpali.
The job now belongs to Ryan Fitzpatrick, who probably has Gailey to thank for much of his career to this point. Most notably, he threw 24 TDs in a Gailey offense in back-to-back seasons.
Saw something online about how terrible this is for the Jets, but we'll see. Anyone who has watched Geno Smith play thus far in his career probably figured at some point the Jets would be forced to switch to Fitzpatrick anyway. So now they're just getting a head start on things.
We'll see if there's a starting job waiting for Smith when he gets back. Sure, eventually Fitzpatrick will play his way out of it, but maybe not right away.
Fitzpatrick had some decent games for the Texans last year, before and after a midseason benching. He won't throw 6 TDs in a game again, but the early-season schedule has promise. Browns, Colts and Eagles in the first three. Who knows?
--Andy Richardson
