NFL Training Camp: Top 5 position battles around the league

2. New York Jets, Geno Smith or Mike Vick?

New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan is usually known for talking a better game than his team delivers. Rex has said that his group this year is further along at this point in the summer than any other team he’s had in New York.

Live Feed

NFL Mocks

The scary thing is that he may just be right.

For the first time in as long as I can remember, the Jets quarterback position is one of strength rather than a mockery. We all remember the Mark Sanchez and Smith combo of a year ago, but how about the Sanchez/Tebow show of 2012?

The implications of the Jets quarterback position this season are huge, and I mean HUGE! Smith has the task of proving that he deserves to be the starter over Vick. One slip up and he may no longer be. Furthermore, who to put on or keep on the field could have vast ramifications on Rex Ryan’s job.

Smith needs to build on last season’s strong finish, and to his credit, it appears he’s done just that, as he told Rich Cimini of ESPN.com:

"“Coming into this year, I’m a lot more confident in my reads and my footwork, and delivering the ball a lot stronger and a lot more accurately — all good signs of progress, but we have a long way to go. I have a long way to go.”"

It’s vital to the team’s success—both in 2014 and beyond—that Smith continues to ascend as a leader and a pure passer.

If he doesn’t, it’s very likely that the Jets will miss the postseason for the fourth consecutive season and hit the reset button on the quarterback position next offseason.

If that happens then we can say, bye-bye Rex.