Geno Smith and Michael Vick both led scoring drives for the New York Jets during their first preseason game on Monday night. Smith and Vick played two series each and neither turned the ball over. The starting job is Smith’s to lose at this point, but could both be in New York’s offensive plans going forward?
Rex Ryan raved about both quarterbacks after the game. Vick proved he can still blow by defenders by ripping off a 15-yard run while Smith showed solid accuracy on his throws. After the game, Vick shot down the notion of using two quarterbacks during regular season games.
“That disrupts the timing of the offense,” Vick said, per NJ.com’s Dom Cosentino. “I think it has to be done at the right time. I experienced that in Philadelphia, with Donovan [McNabb] at times. You want to go out there and let the quarterbacks get into a rhythm and not try to do too much. I think that’s doing too much.”
But as Cosentino noted, Vick left the window for a change-of-pace role open as he continued speaking with reporters.
“When the time calls for it,” he said, “I think the coaches will see fit that that’s put in.”
In an ideal world, the time won’t call for it. The Jets want Smith to play well enough that Vick is a backup and nothing else. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but we all know what happened the last time the Jets brought a quarterback in to potentially play a change-of-pace role. Remember that Tebow guy?
Maybe the Jets are better off picking one quarterback and sticking with him.
