Practice Squad Hunting For A QBBy David_Wyatt @D_wyatt13 on Dec 1 2014, 6:35a +
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
If Geno Smith fails in his resurgence attempt, where do the Jets go? Is there any point playing someone like Michael Vick when it's likely he'll be looking for a new team next season?
First of all I would like to say that I am by no means saying these quarterbacks will ever amount to anything. All of these players are on the practice squad for a reason, they simply weren't good enough to make their respective teams 53 man roster. However most teams have a better quarterback situation than the New York Jets and if we're being honest with each other, that's not really difficult.
The Jets quarterback competition consists of the following:
1) Geno Smith - A 2nd year Quarterback who has done very little to suggest he'll ever be an average QB let alone a franchise QB. He still struggles to read defenses and he'll often make terrible decisions. I'm not 100% sure he'll never make that jump, after all he's only in year two, however it's becoming less and less likely.
2) Michael Vick - An ageing quarterback who turns the ball over for fun, makes poor decisions and who's inability to stay healthy make him completely unreliable for any extended action in the NFL.
3) Matt Simms - A player who has a rocket arm but little else. He doesn't really read the game, and he doesn't give you the impression that he'll ever be able to learn either. Why he's still on the team is anyone's guess, but I see very little upside to keeping him on the roster.
Lets not forget that we did draft a QB this year (Boyd) who's currently playing for the Boston Brawlers in the Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL). The less said about that emtotional choice by Rex Ryan the better. He got his hand-picked man and he didn't last a single off-season.
I was reading about some of the players on practice squads and how they developed like Arian Foster, I was also talking to people about my philosophy of sitting a Quarterback for as long as possible before having to hand over the reigns. I started thinking about some of the Quarterbacks who may be worth at least kicking the tires on. I didn't want to give up anything in return, so the practice squad was the obvious choice. Here are a few QB's I wouldn't mind taking a look at over the course of the next 5 weeks.
We would need to keep him on our active roster, but I'm sure as a 2-9 team we can manage that just fine.
David Fales - Chicago Bears Practice Squad
A lot of people liked David Fales coming out of San Jose state. At 6'3 and 213lb's he was the ptotypical size. The knock on him came down to his arm strength. Although we worked through his reads well and delivered the ball with accuracy, he didn't have the zip that you'd like. However during his final year he showed a fantastic ablity to limit turnovers and place the ball in the right places. He played in a QB friendly system for San Jose, but he's certainly got more upside than Matt Simms. Fales is a player I'd like to see us poach from the Bears.
Keith Wenning - Baltimore Ravens Practice Squad
I saw Wenning in the pre-season and was quite impressed with his ability to work through his progressions and deliver the ball on time and with great accuracy. Baltimore waived him and signed him to the practice squad. In his final year at Ball State he threw for over 4000 yards, tossing 35 touchdowns to 7 interceptions. Again he didn't have the arm strength you'd want and also struggled with mobility in the pocket. However during the draft process, many thought he'd find good success in a WCO and I agree. Worth taking a punt on? Perhaps!
Garrett Gilbert - St Louis Rams Practice Squad
Gilbert is a big man at 6'4 and over 220lb's but he struggled in the pre-season with accuracy issues. At SMU he operated a dink-and-dunk passing game which inflated his numbers and ensured when he got in a rythmn it was hard to stop him. Showed excellent arm strength through college and at his pro day. He's extremely ram but he does work through his progressions to find his 2nd and 3rd read, although he may need some time to groom.
Zac Dysert - Denver Broncos Practice Squad
Zac was drafted in 2013 and spent the 2013 season on the Denver 53 man roster. However this year he has spent the time on the practice squad. He completed 12-18 passes for 106 yards a touchdown and no interceptions in the pre-season and he came out of Miami (OH) with a lot of talent. He's a good athlete, with a good arm that includes a merchancally sound over the arm release. I've been most impressed with his ability to handle the pass rush. He throws from the pocket, or on the move and can operate from both the shotgun and under centre. I'm not sure how a team that has no potential at QB has failed to pick him up. Of all the players on this list, I would love to kick the tires on Zac Dysert and I feel he has the most potential.
