The New York Jets are set to begin training camp in less than two weeks, and the starting quarterback who nearly led them to the playoffs last season remains a free agent. If you ask Bart Scott, that’s the way it should stay.
Scott is among the small minority in believing the Jets might be better off with Geno Smith as their starter rather than Fitzpatrick.
“Geno bring something to the table because he can throw the long ball, so it makes defenses have to step back and play more honestly, defend the entire field, because he can throw the 70-yard bomb on a rope,” the former Jets linebacker recently told Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media. “Fitz has to step into that. He can throw the same route, but he has to let it go earlier, which doesn’t allow the big receivers or the speed of [Eric] Decker to separate. So he has to throw it up, and they have to go get it.”
Two months ago, Scott unloaded on Fitzpatrick for playing hardball with the Jets. You can read what he had to say here.
“I wasn’t trying to cause any controversy, but I just understand the business side of it, from both sides, because I’ve been in that same situation,” Scott said when asked about his comments from May. “I’m sure they would want to reward [Fitzpatrick] for what he was able to do. But at the end of the day, we would be having a different conversation if they would’ve made it to the playoffs.
“I didn’t say he doesn’t have much left. What I’m saying is, Geno went 8-8 [in 2013] with Clyde Gates and some other receivers that we didn’t know of.”
The Jets actually freed up salary cap space by signing Muhammad Wilkerson, who had been given the franchise tag, to a long-term extension. Many believe they will use that money to finally agree to a deal with Fitzpatrick. We know several Jets veterans are hoping that happens, regardless of what Scott thinks about Smith.
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