Starting Over, Again!!!!

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For anyone that follows the New York Jets knows that this is a team that can toy with a fan’s emotions. After winning the Super Bowl in January 1969 as a member of the American Football League, the Jets have never been able to get back to the big game as they’ve been an organization that has lacked consistency. Recent history has seen that trend continue for the Jets as they began the 2015 National Football League season with a record of 10-5 and they only needed to defeat the Buffalo Bills in Week 17 to advance to the playoffs. But the Jets would lose to the Bills as the game was marred by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing 5 interceptions as New York was so close, yet so far from the postseason.

Heading into the 2016 National Football League season the Jets were looking to build off of their close call from 2015, but that has not been the case. The Jets lost their season opener to the Cincinnati Bengals 23-22 in a game that was mired by their miscues. Overall the Jets began this season with a record of 1-5 which included Fitzpatrick throwing 6 interceptions in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Right now the Jets are 3-8 and although that they are an extreme long shot to make the playoffs this season, they haven’t decided to waive the white flag yet which is rather alarming.

For some absurd reason Jets head coach Todd Bowles is sticking with Fitzpatrick as the team’s starting quarterback. The Jets signed Fitzpatrick in 2015 and he would go on to have the best season of his National Football League career as he passed for 3,905 yards, while he threw 31 touchdown passes. After the season Fitzpatrick would become a free agent as he was seeking a big payday. But the Jets nor any other team was interested in giving Fitzpatrick a long-term deal and just prior to the start of training camp, he and New York agreed on a one-year deal for $12 million.

Ryan Fitzpatrick

However the magic that Fitzpatrick had displayed in 2015 is gone as he has thrown 13 interceptions in nine starts compared to throwing 15 last season. Fitzpatrick was benched against the Arizona Cardinals, but he would return to being the Jets starting quarterback when his replacement Geno Smith was lost for the season with an ACL injury. Fitzpatrick himself would suffer a knee injury during the Jets loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 9 and he would miss the Jets next game. In Fitzpatrick’s absence, Bowles used quarterback Bryce Petty the following week against the Los Angeles Rams, but he quickly decided to go back to Fitzpatrick.

The Jets aren’t going anywhere with Fitzpatrick under center this year or any other season. And the time is now for Bowles to give a serious look at Petty, or rookie quarterback Christian Hackenburg who was the Jets second-round pick this past April.

Fitzpatrick was quick to voice his displeasure when the Jets benched him earlier this season in favor of Smith. I understand that Fitzpatrick is a competitor, but he hasn’t done anything during his 12-year National Football League career to warrant him being a franchise quarterback as he is a journeyman which is evident by the six different teams that he has played for. The Jets don’t owe Fitzpatrick anything in regards to coddling his ego, and once their season end’s on New Year’s Day against the Bills, both parties will go their separate ways as he’ll be the latest quarterback that has fallen into the abyss while playing for Gang Green.

Bryce Petty

Petty was selected by the Jets in the fourth round in 2015 and he didn’t see the field as a rookie. In Petty’s one start he was 19-of-32 passing for 163 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception as the Jets lost to the Rams 9-6. Petty was able to display some potential, but Bowles decided to stunt his growth. Petty isn’t going to get any better on the sideline with a clipboard in his hand, and he cannot do any worse than Fitzpatrick has already done. The same can be said for Hackenburg as it’s time for the Jets to take the kid gloves off of their young quarterbacks and see what they can do.

The Jets struck fool’s gold last year with Fitzpatrick and they cannot afford to have him lose anymore games for them as they have one of the best defensive lines in football that includes the likes of Sheldon Richardson, Leonard Williams, and Muhammad Wilkerson. Darrelle Revis’ days as a starting cornerback in the National Football League appear to be numbered, and if the Jets don’t decide to move him to safety in 2017, his time with the team could be coming to an end as well.

Mike Maccagnan, Todd Bowles

With the exception of a road game against the San Francisco 49ers who are 1-10 in Week 14, the Jets don’t have too many winnable games left on their schedule as they are facing the possibility of selecting in the the top five of the National Football League Draft for the first time since 2006 when they selected offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson fourth overall. Under Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan, the Jets will need to have a solid draft and off-season overall as this team that has not made the postseason on their watch which should give them ample motivation to begin planning towards the future now. But unfortunately for the Jets fan base, Bowles is sticking with guys like Fitzpatrick who’ll see their time with the team come to an end in about a month.

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By | 2016-12-01T00:10:33+00:00 December 1st, 2016|Categories: National Football League|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

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