I agree, but i honestly feel Smith may be beaten out by Bryce Petty. Of course this is wishful thinking, but Geno has got to blow the doors out of the house to completely convince Management, the owner and the coach he should be the starter day one if Fitz doesn't sign (In which i feel he will eventually john Hancock it)
Over all i look at a couple of things while dissecting theJets schedule every year:
#1- The QB position. If Geno is leading the team, as much as i cannot stand him, if Bowles and Gailey trust him that he did what was necessary to gain the respect of his teammates, then i'am all in. Just keep in mind that his leash will be as short as ever in his pro career. If the Jets start off 1-3, Management will try to salvage the season by seeing what Petty has learned and will give him adequate playing time for the 2017 campaign. Throw in Hackenberg in the mix as well. Though the team overall can place them in a game management position as the organization had Mark in year one thus we can still have a successful season.
#2-The Offense: Make no mistake, we have a high octane offense. Two stud wide outs. RB's that can bruise you all game. Amaro that is 100% and will surprise people. Our O-Line is solid as Brian Winters solidified the RG position. The only issue i have is Breno's play. Though we will see how Brandon Shell develops quickly to supplant Giaccomini. Either way, this O-Line gave Ivory 1k and allowed Fitz to stay in the pocket and rip defenses apart.
#3-The Defense: Overall , we're damn good. Bowles stamped his mark on this club big time last season. Sure there were holes, but with the little money Mac had in the bank i feel with the acquistions of Bruce Carter (very under estimated pass rusher who can excel in this system), Mac Signing two DT's for the departure of Snacks in Jarvis Jenkins and Steve McClendon & the re-signing of Erin Henderson, who IMHO is a major upgrade over Demario Davis.
The big question is who plays opposite of Revis. Just me, but i feel very comfortable with Marcus Williams. He's a ball hawk.
#4-The Coaching staff: What have they tweaked since year one. My understanding of Coach Bowles is that he and Mac work close to the hip unlike Rex and Tanny, where Rex preferred the front pages in the off season. This coaching staff knows what kind of schedule we have on our hands and they want to prove to the NFL that last year's record wasn't because of the low level of difficulty.
After all of this, i just view our current squad as strong as we've ever been. We can compete against the best of them. The proof will absolutely be starting September of course. But i look at all of the players that have been signed and drafted and get the sense that we will have impact contributors. Especially from Darron Lee, Jordon Jenkins and 2nd year OLB Lorenzo Mauldin.
I can't see the Jets NOT making the playoffs. I honestly, with no doubt in my heart see them:
A: Winning the division
and
B: getting a first round bye
prediction:
12-4
Jets' Bryce Petty notices 'night-and-day' progress while playing Madden
Bryce Petty
Bryce Petty is entering Year 2 with the Jets. (AP Photo | Seth Wenig)
Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com By Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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on May 16, 2016 at 1:22 PM, updated May 16, 2016 at 3:13 PM
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NORTH CALDWELL — Bryce Petty, the Jets' second-year quarterback, knows he has some critical practices coming up this spring and summer, as he tries to show the organization he is worth retaining.
And as he approaches those practices, Petty believes he is much more advanced than he was last year, when the Jets drafted him in the fourth round. One way Petty notices his significant progress — by playing the Madden video game.
Jets rookie minicamp takeaways
What we noticed about Christian Hackenberg, Darron Lee, and others, during the Jets' three-day rookie minicamp. 5/10/16 (Video by Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Last year, he was a developmental quarterback facing a steep learning curve. Now, he understands the nuances of playing in the NFL much better, after he watched and learned last season, while not playing at all.
"For me, where I was when they drafted me last year to where I am now, it's night-and-day difference," Petty said Monday at Jets linebacker David Harris' charity golf event, which benefits the Give the Kids Hope Foundation. "For me, it's a process. Just watching film, I'm seeing things.
"I played Madden the other day, and it's not just picking run plays anymore. It's like, 'Oh, they've got an under front [on defense].' You start picking up things differently. That's exciting for me."
Yet the Jets just drafted Christian Hackenberg in Round 2. They could keep four quarterbacks on their active roster for 2016. General manager Mike Maccagnan hasn't ruled that out. But presuming the Jets re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick, where would that leave Petty? Might he be the odd man out, since Geno Smith would give the Jets a game-tested backup behind Fitzpatrick?
"For me, I've got to go out and prove that they made the right choice the year before [by drafting me]," Petty said.
How much closer is he to being ready to play, as a potential understudy to Fitzpatrick, if the Jets decide to retain Petty over Smith?
Grading Jets' 2016 draft picks
Grading Jets' 2016 draft picks
How we see things.
"If there's anybody I can emulate playing, mentally wise, it's Fitz," Petty said. "It was so awesome to be with him last year, just to see, cognitively, how he thinks about every play and how he goes in to prepare. The capacity for his mental side of the game to be that extreme, that's what I try to emulate."
(Smith declined to speak with reporters Monday at Harris' charity event.)
Petty is trying to not worry about what Hackenberg's selection means for him.
"For me, it's about worrying about what I've got to do, to make sure that I'm in the best chance to hopefully get on the field this year," he said. "That's what I want to do. That's what sucked last year [with not playing]. I know it's part of it, your redshirt year. Especially right now, it's my job to go prove. That rests solely on my shoulders. I'm ready to see the development from Year 1 to Year 2, not only in the film room, but actually hit the field and be able to see things."
Like other Jets players, Petty would like to have Fitzpatrick around the Jets' facility during offseason workouts. But Petty isn't begrudging Fitzpatrick for wanting more money than the Jets have been willing to give him. Petty, like his teammates, has spent some time recently video chatting with Fitzpatrick.
"We want to see him in the locker room, but we also understand it's a business," Petty said. "He's got to do the things to put food on the table for his family."
