QB OR NOT TO BE
If Fitzpatrick can't answer London's calling, Geno debate begins
THE Jets have planned with meticulous detail just about every minute leading up to Sunday’s game against the Dolphins at Wembley Stadium in London.
Meetings, feedings, practices and even leisure time spent on sightseeing are scheduled for specific times, though coach Todd Bowles would prefer his players save the tourist stuff for a later date.
“They’ve got enough money,” Bowles said on Thursday before the Jets’ evening flight to London. “They can go back in the offseason.”
What the Jets can’t calculate is whether they’ll be returning to the U.S. with a win or a budding quarterback controversy. Ryan Fitzpatrick will make his fourth start as the Jets quarterback against the 12 Dolphins. Geno Smith, the incumbent starter who missed most of training camp with a broken jaw after being punched by a teammate, figures to be the backup for the second straight week.
The Jets are Fitzpatrick’s team after seasonopening wins over the Browns (3110) and Colts (207). But a 2417 loss to the Eagles Sunday at MetLife Stadium exposed a blueprint that could haunt the Jets. With Eric Decker out with an in jury and the running game struggling without the injured Chris Ivory, the Eagles loaded up to stop the Jets’ running attack and forced Fitzpatrick to beat them through the air. He couldn’t do it. Fitzpatrick threw 58 passes, completed 35 for 283 yards and two scores. But he also threw three interceptions.
Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said Thursday an ineffective running game (16 carries, 47 yards) hurt the entire offensive production against the Eagles.
“They were committing extra guys off the edge that created problems,” Gailey said, assuring, “We’ve altered some things to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Expect the Dolphins and just about every other Jets opponent to copy what the Eagles did and focus on stopping the run, forcing Fitzpatrick to beat them through the air. Ivory is expected to play Sunday, which should help, but the Jets likely could be without Decker for the second straight week. Without Decker and without a running game, Fitzpatrick will be in trouble again.
“It’s going to be a huge mental week for us, just making sure we know exactly what we’re doing on offense and what we’re trying to get accomplished,” Fitzpatrick said this week.
What the Jets must do is soften a Dolphins’ defense determined to jumpstart a pass rush that has produced one sack. They can do it with a good running game complemented by a passing game with a deep threat. The long ball has to be more of a weapon, especially if rookie speedster Devin Smith plays to expectations. Fitzpatrick has completed just five pass plays of 20 yards or more over three games and was 0for8 on passes of 20 yards or more against the Eagles.
Bottom line: Fitzpatrick has to prove he can throw it deep to keep defenses from loading up against the run.
“He’s got to put it out there, and guys have to get open, too,” Bowles said. “It’s not just Ryan. They’ve got to run better routes and pass protect.”
Bowles indicated Geno Smith likely will be the backup again Sunday and offered a lukewarm assessment of Smith’s progress in practice.
“I wouldn’t say, he’s caught up on everything,” Bowles said. “But he has a good grasp of what we’re trying to do.” Fitzpatrick still has the confidence of his teammates. The journeyman from Harvard has done a decent job overall. The Jets are the seventhranked offense in the AFC and 17th in the league, averaging 333 yards per game (154 rushing/179 passing). Ryan has completed 72 of 116 for 706 yards and six touchdowns and five interceptions. Not bad. Not great. But the Jets might be forced to reevaluate their starting quarterback should things go badly in London.