Veteran quarterback Michael Vick is never far from controversy and is at it again after he said in a recent interview that the Jets wouldn’t be on 2-7 if they had been starting him all season.
After Vick’s impressive performance in a shock 20-13 Jets win over the in-form Steelers, many fans were asking the question they’d been asking all season but with a lot more conviction: “Why are we starting Geno Smith over this guy?”
Starter Earlier
And when the question was put to him by The Star Ledger, rather than give the honourable answer he came out with a brutally honest response.
“In my heart, yes. To sit here and say no would show a lack of confidence in myself and my teammates. But absolutely, I think if I was starting from Day 1, then maybe it would’ve been an opportunity. But that wasn’t the case. I wasn’t put in that situation. The team wasn’t put in that situation.”
"But absolutely, I think if I was starting from Day 1, then maybe it would’ve been an opportunity."
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But then again Vick has always been something of a controversial figure. In 2007 he was jailed for 21 months after being convicted of promoting, funding and facilitating an illegal dog fighting ring on his property.
Many Jets fans will debate whether or not his thoughts on the team selection should actually be considered controversial though – the idea that they could have been a five or six-win team at this stage is not an overtly outrageous one had Vick been at the helm.
Geno's Gone
Of course the flip side of the coin is that Rex Ryan’s focus is on the future and is trying to develop young talent rather than relying on a 34-year-old veteran.
And Vick is at least aware of that argument. “It was all about developing a young quarterback, mentoring a young quarterback and giving him every opportunity to succeed," he continued.
The only problem with that is that Geno Smith seems a long way off succeeding.
What do you think? Do you think the Jets would be doing better if they had been starting Michael Vick all season?