The NY Jets have been struggling along with quarterback Geno Smith and now Michael Vick could start in Week 5 or beyond for Rex Ryan and New York, as the fans gave Smith and the team a mighty booing on Sunday in their loss to the Detroit Lions and making matters worse, Smith was caught cursing out a fan that was giving it to him during the game in Week 4.
According to ESPN.com and Pro Football Talk, cameras picked up Smith yelling a curse at a heckler who was cursing at him and this all came after the fans at the game chanted for Michael Vick to come into the game. Head coach Rex Ryan and other Jets players downplayed what happened with the fans, Vick and Smith, but no matter what, the question will continue to come up if Smith struggles. The Jets brought in Vick just for this reason and if they are surprised that fans are chanting his name, it's just another example of the ineptitude of the Jets organization. The team brought in Tim Tebow and didn't expect things to get tense with QB Mark Sanchez and the fans, but that's of course what happened.
The Lions won 24-17 against the Jets, but the score doesn't exactly tell the story, as NY was not looking good on offense for most of the game. Smith apologized to his teammates and the defense after the game for his performance and while that was a good move, it's becoming too common for the Jets. Smith has shown plenty of talent and has had flashes of brilliance, but he also keeps making glaring mistakes and with late timeouts and other issues surrounding the Jets, things look like they could be slipping away after opening the season with a win against the Raiders.
Smith has been up and down this season as well, starting off with 221 yards and a strong day with 23 of 28 completions against the Raiders, but he hasn't been close to that since. Smith was over 80 percent on his completion rate in Week 1 and since that game he has been at 60 or below in each of the three contests. Against the Packers, a game the Jets were leading and nearly won, Smith was at 50 percent and while he added a rushing TD, his score that could have won the game was wiped off for a timeout.
While that was not Smith's fault, he did not have a great game against the Packers and then against the Bears he was better with 316 yards and a touchdown, but he also tossed two picks. Smith tossed another pick in the game against the Lions and now he has five on the season with four touchdowns and his competition percentage is right at 60 heading into next weekend.
Rex Ryan and the Jets may not make a move based on what the fans want, but right now Smith is teetering on getting pulled. The team believes in him, but in this day in age with the new contracts, it's not the craziest thing in the world to draft another QB. The team has Vick and he could be a solid starter option moving forward, but it remains to be seen if or when the team will do it.