Indiana’s Curt Cignetti is clearly one of the top football coaches around.
The Hoosiers won their first-ever football championship last season and became the first FBS team to go 16–0.
Cignetti recently grabbed TCU QB Josh Hoover out of the transfer portal to replace last season’s Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza, now with the Las Vegas Raiders.
TCU coach Sonny Dykes took a shot at Hoover after he left.
“Look, numbers are numbers and stats are stats,” Dykes said. “I think Josh started 31 games here as a quarterback, and we turned the ball over 40 — he turned the ball over 42 times in those 31 starts.”
Recently, Cignetti was asked about what Dykes said about his new QB.
When he said this, my first thought, since I cover the Jets, was, “That is exactly the formula Geno Smith needs this season.”
Smith is the quintessential game manager.
With all the issues the Jets have had at QB in recent years, aside from in 2024, the Jets and their fans would sign up for any of the seasons Smith had during his three years as Seattle’s full-time starter from 2022-24, in which he went 9-8, 8-7, and 10-7.
He averaged 23.7 TDs to 11.7 picks in those three seasons.
He managed games well for Seattle those three seasons, going 27-22 as a starter.
If the Jets can execute the formula that Cignetti mentioned, Smith can do a solid job as the Jets’ QB.
The Jets should be able to run the ball well with a solid offensive line and Breece Hall (and others) toting the rock.
And the Jets’ defense should be better this year.
Not the ’85 Chicago Bears, but better.
Their issues on defense last year weren’t just scheme-related, but talent-related. Thanks to the work of their personnel department, the Jets are more talented and deeper on defense than last year.
So it’s quite possible they will be able to execute the Cignetti plan for Smith with his best friends being a “g
If they can do that, they might surprise some people this season.
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