The New York Jets finally are pulling the plug on Geno Smith. Well, at least for this week.
Head coach Rex Ryan announced Monday that Michael Vick will be the team’s starting quarterback when it travels to Arrowhead Stadium to play the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
“I feel, right now, that this is the right move,” Ryan told reporters, via NFL.com.
Smith has struggled yet again for the 1-7 Jets this season, completing just 56.2 percent of his passes while throwing for seven touchdowns and ten interceptions. He was particularly bad in Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, throwing three interceptions in the team’s first three drives before he was replaced by Vick in the first quarter.
Unfortunately for New York, Vick hasn’t fared much better. The 34-year-old completed just half of his 36 pass attempts after replacing Smith on Sunday and threw for zero touchdowns and one interception. His 46.3 percent completion percentage is last in the NFL among players with 10 or more pass attempts this season.
While Smith’s detractors — and there are plenty — will be happy with the Jets’ decision to replace him, Ryan insisted that the move wasn’t permanent.
“This is not looking long-term, this is about the immediate,” Ryan said. “My focus is just on that and that’s on Kansas City and trying to find a way to get a win. And that’s why this decision was made.”
The Chiefs enter Sunday’s contest with the NFL’s best passing defense, having allowed just 196 yards per game to opposing quarterbacks in 2014.
Photo via Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports Images
