For all of the hoopla about the signing veteran Michael Vick to compete with Geno Smith for the starting quarterback job, it doesn’t look like there will be much of a competition at all — according to Vick that is.
Vick told the Newark Star Ledger that Smith is the New York Jets’ starting quarterback and it’s his and the rest of the team’s job to help him develop into the best player he can be.
“Geno’s the starting quarterback for that football team,” Vick told NJ.com. “Ultimately our goal is to try to help Geno become the best quarterback that he can be. Myself and [third-stringer Matt Simms] are all trying to put him in a position where he can get better from year one to year two.”
Last month, there were indications that despite members of the Jets coaching staff and players calling it a “fair” quarterback competition, Vick was signed to be the starter.
Vick, 34, spent last season backing up Nick Foles with the Philadelphia Eagles after losing his job to injury early last season. He was expected to pursue a team where he believed he could be the starter when he hit free agency this offseason.
Vick may just be playing the politically correct card, as earlier in the week Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhigweg — Vick’s offensive coordinator back in Philadelphia — told the Star Ledger that Smith would see more reps at the team’s first minicamp, but still said there would be an even competition.
“Geno will get a few more reps, but not many,” Mornhinweg said. “I’m going to try to do the thing right. It will vary day to day. Like I’ve done it in the past. Some guys at all positions, not just the quarterback position—and I tell the players this up front—some guys are going to get more of an opportunity than others. It’s just that simple… Well, in many cases, the guy that gets less reps wins the job sometimes because they took advantage of what reps they had.”
This certainly makes OTAs and training camp more interesting, and if true, could make the Jets less inclined to take a quarterback in the draft.
