Recent New York Jets draft pick Bryce Petty is unlikely to have much say in the quarterback competition set to play out for the Jets this offseason.
Petty entered the 2015 NFL Draft process to questions about his pro-readiness and despite his ample talents, fell all the way to the fourth-round because of his over-reliance on his athletic ability and lack of understanding of pro passing concepts.
With Petty set to ride the pine for at least this season, clipboard firmly in hand, that leaves Geno Smith and the recently acquired Ryan Fitzpatrick to duel it out for the starting gig in New York.
While Smith likely has the upper hand at the outset of the competition thanks to a much higher ceiling, Fitzpatrick may prove to be more than just an afterthought for the Jets, as Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports suggest that "Smith should be scared" of the veteran journeyman and beard extraordinaire.
"There's a new coaching staff and front office in place. The regime that drafted Smith isn't there to give him second and third chances. Smith will be learning a new offense/verbiage under Chan Gailey, who was ushered in as offensive coordinator in January. And the height of Fitzpatrick's career occurred under Gailey, who was Fitzpatrick's head coach from 2010-12 with the Buffalo Bills. That means Fitzpatrick is already familiar with a large chunk of the offense/verbiage that Gailey is installing. None of this is coincidence.
"Fitzpatrick isn't just there to help teach Smith. He's there to step in as soon as he's needed."
Smith is still young and he's still talented, but the safety net of performing under the regime that made him a second-round selection is gone and it's unlikely that new Jets head coach Todd Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan will be willing to tolerate the never-ending stream of turnovers that poured out of Smith's arm last season in the same manner as Rex Ryan.
Fitzpatrick will never be more than a placeholder, whether for Smith or Petty, but he's a much more accomplished passer than Smith despite operating with much fewer athletic gifts. In 2011 under Gailey, the 32-year-old Fitzpatrick managed to complete 62.0 percent of his passes for 3,832 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Not amazing production by any means, but far better than anything the 24-year-old Smith has accomplished in two NFL seasons.
If Smith can't take care of the football and make use of the plethora of weapons the Jets have amassed for him this offseason - weapons like Brandon Marshall, Devin Smith, Stevan Ridley and Zac Stacy - it won't be long before Fitzpatrick is doing his best to manage the Jets offense to just enough points to allow the vaunted New York defense to put the clamps down and Smith is on the street looking for a chance in a new football home.
