Michael Vick: Jets QB competition not really open
By Mike Dyce
The New York Jets seemed committed to making Geno Smith the quarterback to lead the team going forward, especially after watching that Tim Tebow situation back fire with Mark Sanchez. Yet this offseason they brought in former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and has thrust a quarterback controversy onto the team once again.
Originally, Vick conceded the starting job, and the No. 7 jersey, to Smith. Then head coach Rex Ryan came out and said Vick has a chance to beat out Smith for the starter’s job.
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“Geno Smith is going to be hard to beat out… He knows the offense forward and backwards,” Ryan said, via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “Mike Vick definitely has a chance to win the job.”
Vick has now come out and said that it isn’t really a quarterback competition.
“Going through the competition with Nick [Foles in Philadelphia], we knew both of us coming in that it was open competition and the best guy was going to win the job,” Vick said, via Seth Walder of the New York Daily News. “Pretty much cut and dry. This situation is different. It’s kind of unique. Even though it’s not an open competition, we’re both competing every day.”
There might be competition, but it isn’t open, comparing it to the situation with Nick Foles when he said the best player would get the job. That seems to insinuate that Smith could get the job to keep him developing and moving along instead of it going to Vick, the better player potentially. They’d be more lenient with Smith’s mistakes and allow him to start even if Vick is the better quarterback because they don’t want to shake his confidence and stunt his development, keeping Vick around solely as insurance.