NY Jets: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

When it comes to the NY Jets and their quarterback situation, they should stick with the mentality that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

The Jets are 3-1 heading into their bye week and have gotten much praise for their incredibly hot start. It’s not perfect but the Jets took care of business when they needed to and course corrected after their shocking loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Thanks to their stout defense and potent running game, the Jets are stopping opponents defensively and keeping those chains moving.

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has played decent, but not great football. For anyone thinking he’ll emerge as the next top quarterback in the NFL, it’s not what he’s here to do.

Fitzpatrick is a veteran that has been in the NFL for well over a decade and despite his not so great numbers so far, brings much more to the table. His leadership qualities and the fact that he’s earned the respect of his teammates thanks to his veteran experience goes much farther than his regular season stats.

Sure, for the season so far with the Jets, Fitzpatrick has totaled 924 yards on 88 completions for 7 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Considering that Fitzpatrick has thrown an interception in every game this season is a glaring issue that he still has work to do, but he’s bounced back and adjusted when needed.

Many believe this is the perfect time to throw Geno Smith back into the mix to see if he can finally be the franchise quarterback this team needs for the future. If it ain’t broke, there is no reason to fix it.

The Jets are winning football games thanks to a solid defense and an incredible ground game led by Chris Ivory. To make such a big change at the most important position on the team just to experiment with Smith would be a terrible mistake made by the Jets.

Oct 2, 2015; Sunbury-on-Thames, United Kingdom; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) at practice at the Hazelwood in advance of the NFL International Series game against the Miami Dolphins. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Sure, Smith might be a good option to start since he’s younger, has a better skill-set and of course a better arm than Fitzpatrick. But may I remind many, what has he done to earn this starting position at this very moment? He got into that altercation he easily could have walked away from this past summer and was sidelined due to getting punched in the jaw due to not owning up to a monetary debt he clearly made with a teammate.

I’ve always believed that as a leader, you walk away from issues like that. Any adult that says they will pay a debt back usually does, and if they don’t, it’s on them. The fact that Smith avoided paying his debt for two weeks at the start of training camp to the point where a confrontation occurred, shows he’s not the mature leader the Jets need under center. He has potential, needless to say, he blew his chances by allowing things to escalate to where it did.

Players and coaches are rallying behind Fitzpatrick, they believe in him. He’s not perfect but his intangibles at this point in time is exactly what the Jets need to continue their success this season on offense. To reward Smith with a quarterback change in his favor would clearly send the wrong message to the entire team and their fan base that his involvement in that altercation holds no consequences.

I’m still pretty sure he’s being held accountable for his role in that altercation where the only opportunity he would get to play would be in the event of an injury or during garbage time at the end of a football game.

Winning solves everything and as long as the Jets are winning, it gives major leverage to Fitzpatrick’s miscues since he hasn’t found his stride yet in this new spread offense. Either way, Smith is actually benefiting from being on the bench and earning some valuable time absorbing everything for his future. Perhaps with all the time away from the spotlight, he’ll mature and grow into the kind of leader people will actually look up to and respect.

Next: Fantasy Football: Top 5 sleepers for Week 5

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