The New York Jets are not having the season they were planning on. The team currently sits with one win on the year and that came to the Oakland Raiders. The playoffs are slowly fading into the distance and now more people are concerned with keeping their jobs at this point in the year. Geno Smith is coming off another benching. Michael Vick failed to be the difference maker and now everyone is trying to defend one another before things get ugly.
According to the New York Post, the demotion of Smith is permanent at least for a week. The Jets are unlikely to start the second-year quarterback another week after he once again tossed more interceptions than touchdowns on Sunday. Michael Vick did not perform much better. The two quarterbacks combined for six turnovers against the Buffalo Bills as the Jets managed another loss. Smith had three picks in just 10 minutes of play. However, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, Ryan has no idea if Vick is even going to be the answer as the team faces Kansas City on Sunday. Ryan remains confident that Smith will eventually be a good quarterback, it just has not happened yet.
"I think this young man is eventually going to be a really good quarterback in this league," Ryan said, via ESPN.com. "Time will tell. We didn't execute. And when I say 'we' I'm talking about myself, because I was just atrocious, the way that I started out. I never expected to start a game like that and I've got to make sure I get better, don't allow things like that to happen, put ourselves in really tough positions like that."
What happens if Smith's struggles continue? The Jets could eventually opt to move on, but Ryan appears ready to give him a second chance. Most of the Jets' players appear to agree with Ryan, remaining confident in the rest of the season. Wide receiver Eric Decker is likely feeling farther and farther away from Denver at the moment, but he stressed the media that the Jets are not a bad football team. He believes that simple mistakes have caused the seven-game losing streak for New York.
"We're not a bad football team," Decker said, via NJ.com. "We just do stupid stuff. It's something that, at this point, it's frustrating. All you can do is carry on and keep chopping the wood. I think it's the mistakes - that's the biggest thing I'm going to take from this game. When you turn the ball over so much, when you have penalties, when you just do stupid stuff, you're never going to win a football game."
The Jets were hoping that Percy Harvin would get them the win in Week 8, but that failed to happen. The receiver had three catches for 22 yards which is actually considered a success given the circumstances. Decker believes that Harvin will be an x-factor for the Jets once they get things going and start playing better football.
"You look at what he brings to the table and what our offense is built on, having that ability to make 20-plus yard catches, and make some of those plays -- getting the ball in his hands on handoffs, reverses, crossing routes, a lot of new thins, you just want to get the ball in his hands because he can make a five-yard catch go 70. That's what we need," Decker said, via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. "He's got to get comfortable and coaches gotta do what's best for the offense, what he's comfortable with."
