2013 New York Jets Training Camp Preview: Part I

Jun 11, 2013; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (6), New York Jets quarterback Greg McElroy (14) and New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the New York Jets minicamp session at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning Jet Pressers. Happy fourth of July. Not only because of the holiday, but because we are 3 weeks away from the Jets arriving at SUNY Cortland for training camp. It has been a long wait, but football is just about back. We have just a little while longer to wait, but we have almost made it.

To help press our way through this last three weeks, we are going to start to preview training camp. We are going to go through the team, position by position, looking at the roster as it stands right now, and speculate as to what it is going to look like going forward. We start our journey with the biggest position of them all……………

QUARTERBACK

I like to say that we jump right to Final Jeopardy with this one. Right from the top of the roster is the biggest battle of them all, the quarterback position. With the new regime in on offense, we know how big this is. Marty Mornhinweg is here, with his West Coast offense, now the Jets have to figure out who is going to run it.

The main combatants are the incumbent, Mark Sanchez, and the rookie, Geno Smith. Mark comes into camp with the slight lead, since he has been around for four years. Geno Smith is here, and certainly has earned the popular vote. By informal polling, approximately 90% of Jets fans are finished with Mark Sanchez, and are ready to turn the keys over to Geno Smith.

The other two quarterbacks making their way to Cortland this summer are Greg McElroy, and Matt Simms. Despite the fact that Marty Mornhinweg has stated that Matt Simms has the best arm in camp, don’t expect to hear much from these two as far as pushing for the number one job. It is unfortunate, because when Greg had his chances in 2012, he did well. He led an excellent drive in relief of Mark Sanchez to lead the Jets to a win over the Arizona Cardinals, and did what he could under immense pressure against the Chargers. However, the Jets don’t seem to have any confidence in him. They would not have drafted another QB if they did.

So, how is the competition going to turn out? Not the way that most fans want if you ask me. Take Geno Smith, who has no experience is the West Coast concept. Can he learn it? Of course, but we are talking about week one of the upcoming season. Mark Sanchez has the experience, and his best output has been in these types of systems. The WCO plays to Mark’s strengths, taking short drops, and hitting wide receivers on slants, quick outs…etc. Geno Smith has grown up in the spread offense, which is not similar to the WCO at all.

Unless Mark Sanchez turns it around, Geno Smith is the quarterback of the future. He will make the transition to the WCO and have every opportunity to make it. But for right now, as we head into the season of 2013, he will not be ready to take the lead he needs in the competition to put Mark on the bench.

Therefore, Mark Sanchez will be the starter come week 1.