Jetswire -- It just doesn’t make sense to NFL analyst and Monday Night Football color commentator Jon Gruden. Not even slightly.
He watched from afar a year ago as Ryan Fitzpatrick, while not single-handedly, took the Jets from laughing stock, to playoff contender. He saw how he was able to right the ship following the drama and circus that surrounded the team when Geno Smith was punched by teammate I.K. Enemkpali.
He witnessed how all 53 players on the regular season roster rallied behind him.
So, why the heck is team considering drafting a quarterback?
“That’s really confusing to me,” Gruden said in a conference call with reporters Thursday.
Now, obviously, from the point of view of those associated with the Jets, the interest in drafting a quarterback stems from the fact they don’t believe they have a “franchise option” on the roster. Fitzpatrick, even with his 2015 success, is a short-term fix. After the 2017 season? 2018? Who exactly is there?
If New York believed Jared Goff (Cal) or Carson Wentz (NDSU) could be the future, a trade up, as they attempted, made sense. If the team believed Memphis’ Paxton Lynch is that player, again, a trade up makes sense.
At the end of the day, few coaches will admit the ability to legitimately contender, year in and year out, without a franchise signal caller. So, if you believe you can attain one, and have him be your starter for the next 12-15 years, you do it.
But here’s Gruden’s logic:
“They have Ryan Fitzpatrick out there in free agency, a man that threw over 30 touchdown passes on that team and won 10 games,” Gruden said. “They’ve also got time invested in Geno Smith and Bryce Petty, two men that they drafted fairly high.
“They’ve got to evaluate Geno and Bryce right now. I’m sure they’re doing that prior to the draft. If they like the progress they’ve seen from Petty or Geno, I wouldn’t consider drafting a quarterback.”
The thing is though, the Jets don’t really know what they have in Petty or Smith.
Smith, while possessing all of the talent in the world, hasn’t been able to put together the mental aspect of the game. In his 31 career starts, he’s tossed 35 interceptions and fumbled eight times. Smith looked to have turned the corner a year ago, but the Enemkpali locker room incident ended a strong training camp.
Petty, on the other hand, is still a project player. When selected out of Baylor in the fourth round of last year’s draft, he was viewed as someone that would take 2-3 years to develop. He had a watch-and-learn season in 2015, now most questions will be answered on him during OTAs, minicamp, training camp and the preseason.
Could Petty have progressed a ton? Sure. He also could have progressed little at all. There’s no way for the Jets to know until they start taking the field again.
“If they see these two young men as clearly not able to take the reigns,” Gruden said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jets do move up, because if Geno and Bryce can’t get it done, and become the long‑term solution, the Jets better address that mighty quick.”
The issue? New York won’t be able to know until after the NFL draft.
He watched from afar a year ago as Ryan Fitzpatrick, while not single-handedly, took the Jets from laughing stock, to playoff contender. He saw how he was able to right the ship following the drama and circus that surrounded the team when Geno Smith was punched by teammate I.K. Enemkpali.
He witnessed how all 53 players on the regular season roster rallied behind him.
So, why the heck is team considering drafting a quarterback?
“That’s really confusing to me,” Gruden said in a conference call with reporters Thursday.
Now, obviously, from the point of view of those associated with the Jets, the interest in drafting a quarterback stems from the fact they don’t believe they have a “franchise option” on the roster. Fitzpatrick, even with his 2015 success, is a short-term fix. After the 2017 season? 2018? Who exactly is there?
If New York believed Jared Goff (Cal) or Carson Wentz (NDSU) could be the future, a trade up, as they attempted, made sense. If the team believed Memphis’ Paxton Lynch is that player, again, a trade up makes sense.
At the end of the day, few coaches will admit the ability to legitimately contender, year in and year out, without a franchise signal caller. So, if you believe you can attain one, and have him be your starter for the next 12-15 years, you do it.
But here’s Gruden’s logic:
“They have Ryan Fitzpatrick out there in free agency, a man that threw over 30 touchdown passes on that team and won 10 games,” Gruden said. “They’ve also got time invested in Geno Smith and Bryce Petty, two men that they drafted fairly high.
“They’ve got to evaluate Geno and Bryce right now. I’m sure they’re doing that prior to the draft. If they like the progress they’ve seen from Petty or Geno, I wouldn’t consider drafting a quarterback.”
The thing is though, the Jets don’t really know what they have in Petty or Smith.
Smith, while possessing all of the talent in the world, hasn’t been able to put together the mental aspect of the game. In his 31 career starts, he’s tossed 35 interceptions and fumbled eight times. Smith looked to have turned the corner a year ago, but the Enemkpali locker room incident ended a strong training camp.
Petty, on the other hand, is still a project player. When selected out of Baylor in the fourth round of last year’s draft, he was viewed as someone that would take 2-3 years to develop. He had a watch-and-learn season in 2015, now most questions will be answered on him during OTAs, minicamp, training camp and the preseason.
Could Petty have progressed a ton? Sure. He also could have progressed little at all. There’s no way for the Jets to know until they start taking the field again.
“If they see these two young men as clearly not able to take the reigns,” Gruden said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jets do move up, because if Geno and Bryce can’t get it done, and become the long‑term solution, the Jets better address that mighty quick.”
The issue? New York won’t be able to know until after the NFL draft.
