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Premium – Dealing with reality is very important when you are running a business. And let’s cut to the chase – Aaron Rogers or Tom Brady aren’t coming to work at One Jets Drive.
Michael Vick has a career 56.2 percent.
That is less than ideal.
That means almost every other pass is hitting the ground.
The great quarterbacks – Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rogers and Drew Brees are all around 65 percent.
That is what you are looking for.
But last time I checked, none of those guys is relocating to One Jets Drive in Florham Park.
So as far as insurance policies for Geno Smith, Michael Vick is probably as good as they are going to get.
It’s not exactly a who’s who of quarterback options on the street right now.
And the fact that Vick is so comfortable with Marty’s playbook is a huge factor here – huge. He’s already high up on the growth curve. That is very, very helpful to the Jets’ QB room.
Also, Marty has a great feel for Vick’s game, what to call to keep him in his comfort zone.
If this was a different coordinator, I’d say this is a bad idea. But I can’t tell you how impressed I am with Marty. He did a masterful job manufacturing wins for the Jets last year with a rookie quarterback, often dialing up brilliant first reads, which was so important for Geno, since he’s a young QB who struggled reading complex NFL defenses.
Marty can do the same thing for Vick, who also isn’t Brady or Rogers as far as reading defenses, but if you have a good chess player as your offensive coordinator, you can do some magical things with Vick. I don’t throw out praise like bouquets, but I think Marty is outstanding. Rex has made some mistakes over the years with his staff, but he hit a grand slam with this guy.
And while Vick is going to say all the right things about mentoring and helping Geno, that isn’t why he’s coming to work in Florham Park.
He’s coming to One Jets Drive to be the starting quarterback.
He sees a very vulnerable starter going into his second year who he can beat out.
He’s not coming here to be a backup.
A fan tweeted at me, “It’s Geno’s job to lose.”
My response, “It’s Rex’s job to lose if he doesn’t win this year.”
Even though the Jets brass hates it when reporters write this – Rex is basically dealing with the same exact contract situation as last year – two guaranteed years left. The contract beyond that is window dressing.
So with that being said, Mike Vick is the leading candidate to start for the Jets.
I’m not putting Vick in Canton, but right now he gives the Jets a better chance to win that Geno Smith.
You know, Vick could turn into another one of those quarterbacks, like Vinnie Testaverde, Jim Plunkett and Rich Gannon, who had a renaissance in their mid-30’s, and played some of their best football in the twilight of their careers.
While Vick is far from perfect as a QB, he’s basically seen it all at this point, and that is so helpful at the quarterback position.
March 21, 2014
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