The National Football League draft has come and gone again, and there was one surprise that left pundits baffled, but gave New York Jets fans hopes of Super Bowl glory ”“ or at least the hope of making the playoffs.
Geno Smith, a highly-touted quarterback who played for West Virginia, was expected by many football experts to be one of the top quarterbacks taken in the draft. He sat at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night and watched name after name called by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, with his name never coming out of the commissioner’s mouth. He looked distraught, bewildered and confused. He was supposed to be taken in the first round.
The second round began on Friday, and the first six names called were not Smith’s. Again, confusion set in as fans and the media couldn’t understand what was happening. It’s not often that a high-level prospect goes undrafted in the first two rounds.
It was during that second round, however, that the New York Jets made Smith’s dreams come true, and in drafting him have perhaps changed the downward trajectory that has been the team’s path for the past two seasons with Mark “The Sanchize” Sanchez as quarterback.
Although Smith had to wait for his name to be called, he has now landed in a place where he can play quickly. Sanchez has not developed into the quarterback the Jets had hoped he would. After leading the team to the AFC title game in 2009 and 2010, the Jets and Sanchez have struggled, not making the playoffs last year and never getting over the AFC title hump and into a Super Bowl.
The worst came for Sanchez last season when, during a Sunday night football game against the New England Patriots, Sanchez ran into the back of one of his offensive linemen, fumbled the ball and allowed the Patriots to score on the play. That doesn’t happen in high school football games, let alone in the NFL.
Smith might start immediately, or he might have to wait a few games before he becomes the team’s starting quarterback. Sanchez will probably get a chance to start the season, but if he appears to be the same, mediocre quarterback, the Jets won’t hesitate to replace him with Smith.
No one knows if Smith will live up to the hype or potential, since Sanchez hasn’t, but it is worth a shot for an organization that wants so desperately to win a Super Bowl.
It might also help braggadocio Jets head coach Rex Ryan. When Ryan became the Jets coach in 2009, he quipped that he didn’t come to New York to kiss the Super Bowl rings of New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick ”“ who has three as a head coach. The first two seasons, he looked like a genius as the Jets flew past New England and reached the AFC title game in Ryan’s and Sanchez’s first two seasons.
Since then, however, New England has regained its dominance over the Jets, reaching the Super Bowl two years ago and making it to the AFC title game last season.
Ryan has publicly stood behind Sanchez throughout the past few rough seasons, not because he wanted to, but because he had to. The Jets didn’t have a good backup quarterback, and Sanchez was the only option. Now there is someone to whom the Jets can turn.
We’re not saying Smith will get New York over the hump, but he’ll at least give them a fighting chance.
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Today’s editorial was written by Sports Editor Al Edwards on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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