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Matt Simms Should Start at Quarterback for New York Jets

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By @GregSulik

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Here we go again. Just three games after benching Geno Smith for ineffectiveness, the New York Jets have benched Michael Vick for the same problem and turned back to Smith.

Assuming he doesn’t completely implode (which is always a possibility), Smith will start for the remainder of the season. Vick did a decent job of playing turnover free football for a couple weeks, but he never brought any spark to the Jets’ pathetic passing attack.

Of course, we have plenty of evidence that Smith isn’t going to make things any better. The Jets are going to be looking for a new starter in the offseason, meaning the former goal of developing Smith doesn’t really apply anymore. For that reason, Matt Simms should start the final five games of the season for the Jets.

When asked about that very scenario on a New York radio show, Ryan laughed and said “No”.

Well why not? We know what Smith is, and that’s a turnover prone, inaccurate quarterback who is most likely going to be a career backup. As far as Vick goes, I understand that Ryan and many of the Jets’ players live in a fantasy world where he’s still good, but the fact that he is no longer effective at this stage of his career is painfully obvious.

So why not give Simms a chance? He is not a starting-caliber talent, but that doesn’t matter because neither are Smith and Vick. The Jets want to give Smith one last chance, but it doesn’t serve any purpose. Even keeping him as a backup long term presents an awkward situation that could end up causing unwanted turmoil at the position in the future. Simms, on the other hand, could be developed into a capable backup quarterback.

Simms has appeared in parts of four games in his career, completing 48.7% of his passes for 195 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Obviously that won’t impress anyone, but it’s not like it’s much worse than what Smith and Vick have done this season. Given a real chance to start, Simms might gain some valuable experience, making him a legitimate long-term backup option for the Jets. At the very least, the Jets would be able to see what they have in Simms.

Another issue here is how starting Smith will go over in the locker room, where it is likely to be a very unpopular move. The players prefer Vick to all the other options, but giving Simms a chance could at least get the team to rally around the young guy and play hard for him.

Starting Vick is completely pointless, because the season is lost and he isn’t effective. Starting Smith is mostly pointless, because even if he looks good, the Jets are still going to be looking for a new starter at the position in the offseason. Given that, there isn’t really a reason not to give Simms a shot.

It probably won’t amount to anything, but at this point in the season, it’s worth finding out.

Greg Sulik is a New York Jets writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @GregSulik or add him to your network on Google

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