Michael Vick admits he took scout-team snaps for granted last week
If you’re Rex Ryan, what do you do at quarterback?
Do you play Geno Smith, who cursed out fans, got testy with media, missed a team meeting, struggled mightily on the field and generally doesn’t look like a starter right now?
Or do you go to Michael Vick, who was no better in relief of Smith in Week 5? One reason why Vick might have struggled: He admitted that he took his practice reps with the scout team, mimicking the San Diego Chargers’ offense, leading up to the Week 5 game for granted, even though they were the majority of the snaps he would have taken.
Which of these quarterbacks is acting like he wants the ball?
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“I learned a lesson last week: Always stay ready, always be prepared,” Vick said, per the Star-Ledger. “That left a bitter taste in my mouth, that I wasn’t able to go out and put points on the board or even help this team in any fashion. This week has been a different work week for me. I think throughout the rest of the year, it’s going to be totally different for me, as far as my preparation.”
Read that quote again. It came from a 14-year veteran. Stunning.
If that is uttered from the mouth of a first- or second-year backup, you know what? You write it off to youngster naivité; you chalk it up as a tough lesson learned.
But if it comes from someone who has been in the NFL since 2001, you realize that the Jets made two horrifiic mistakes — counting on Smith as the starter and on Vick as the backup/mentor/provisional starter/whatever.
That’s why GM John Idzik, as much or more as Ryan, should be walking gingerly on what should be thin ice beneath him. That’s an inexcusable pairing, and with no other quarterback on the roster (Matt Simms is on the practice squad) there is no clear-cut ray of hope to help turn around the team’s 1-4 start.
Smith’s scouting reports — you know, the one everyone ripped and claimed was based in racism? — are starting to come startlingly true. And the knocks on Vick and his lack of free-agent attention this offseason is starting to make a little more sense now.
Can you see why the Jets appear to be in an awful position?
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
