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CBS NFL analyst Phil Simms said to SiriusXM’s Adam Schein today, “I think if Geno Smith was in this draft class he would be the number one guy, without question.”
A little strong, don’t you think?
No question, Smith made some progress late in the year, as the Jets won three of their last four games, but Simms’ quote seems a little over the top.
Smith threw five Pick Sixes last season.
Smith had 12 touchdowns in 16 games, to go along with 21 picks. He had a passer rating of 66.5 for the season.
Look, I’m not looking to pick on Smith. This isn’t about him. He could turn out to be the Jets long-term answer at quarterback. We shall see.
This is about the Simms’ quote.
You are telling me that Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles or Johnny Manziel, couldn’t go out and start as a rookie and throw 12 touchdowns to go along with 21 interceptions with a pedestrian 66.5 QB rating?
C’mon.
And to say, he would be “the number one guy, without question,” is a bit strong.
One Jets beat writer thinks there is some pandering going on here.
“He is bending over backwards because of his son, in my opinion,” said the beat writer.
Matt Simms is a reserve quarterback on the Jets.
Obviously, this beat writer’s theory can’t be proven (though surely the Jets’ brass was ecstatic to read this quote from Phil Simms).
But the point I’m making here, is that I don’t agree with Phil Simms.
And I think a lot of personnel people would disagree as well.
At the very least, Bridgewater, Bortles and Manziel (and maybe Derek Carr) are on Smith’s level as prospects.
And once again, I want to make it clear, I’m not dissing Smith here. He’s not the one who made the statement . . .
It was reported today by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the Jets are going to release Santonio Holmes in the coming days.
This probably came from Joel Segal, his agent, who is very media-friendly.
It certainly did come from John Idzik.
I don’t think this comes as a surprise to any of us.
That monster deal that the Jets gave Holmes in 2011 didn’t work out that well for the team.
There is plenty of blame to go around, and Holmes deserves his share.
But let’s be fair to Holmes on one front – the quarterback play wasn’t stellar over the last three years. It’s been a turnover-palooza. It hasn’t been the most wide receiver-friendly landscape in Jets Land the last three years.
And one other thing regarding Holmes’ attitude.
“I don’t think he’s going to be missed in that locker room,” said one national NFL reporter.
I know the media won’t miss him. Holmes and the media were a toxic brew.
But how was he viewed in the building, putting the media aside?
One Jets staffer described him as “Jeckyll and Hyde.”
One day he can be charming, and the next day, not so much.
Look, I’m not looking to make excuses for his moodiness.
But let me say this, I don’t think he’s ever gotten over his childhood in Belle Glade, one of the poorest towns in the country, rife with gang violence, AIDS, drug problems. That state of that Florida town is tragic.
There were bullet holes in his house.
His mother had to go to Georgia to work as a migrant farmer to feed the family.
I know that there are a lot of players in the league from bad situations, but some can overcome it, others can’t.
I think this guy was irreparable scarred.
February 27, 2104
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