Jets' Opener Goes as Envisioned at Quarterback
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Rex Ryan wanted to see production from the Jets ' offense in the team's preseason opener Thursday night, and production is what he got. On their third possession, the Jets drove 80 yards in 14 plays for a touchdown, and afterward, as green fireworks boomed above MetLife Stadium, the quarterback who guided them into the end zone was greeted warmly on the sideline.
It was Michael Vick 's first drive with the Jets, and it came on his lone series working with the first-team offense, which was also one of the few instances in recent days that he had worked with that unit. This is what the Jets envisioned that day in March when they dumped Mark Sanchez and signed Vick.
The Jets still have a competitive situation at quarterback, but this one at least appears tenable. Geno Smith, the other passer in the mix, is throwing the ball well (mostly) and making smart decisions (usually), and he provided no distressing signals in his two series that should force the Jets to rethink their quarterback plan, which grows more and more transparent every day.
For Smith to lose this job, the Jets would have to bar him from entering their complex over the next four weeks. And even still.
Smith may on some level recognize this, but he also understands the value of being pushed every day, in practice, in offensive meetings and, on Thursday, in a game, which the Jets won, 13-10, against the Indianapolis Colts. The presence of Vick, with his elusiveness and his comfort with the system of the offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, provides a constant reminder of what lurks if Smith falters. So far, though, he hasn't.
In the relatively controlled environment of training camp, Smith has neither struggled nor starred, instead demonstrating a certain steadiness that, if not for his troubles last season, might otherwise go overlooked.
So far Smith has received about 80 percent of the first-team snaps and 100 percent of the praise, garnering compliments for his poise and his acumen, with Vick himself saying the other day that Smith would be '10 times better' than he was last year. What Vick was using as his baseline was unclear, as was his method for determining that figure - why not nine times better? Or 11? - but the statement reflected the confidence that Smith had engendered in their time together.
Against the Colts, Smith completed 4 of 6 passes for 33 yards, one incompletion coming when he was pressured and flung an ill-advised pass across his body toward fullback Tommy Bohanon.
Smith scampered for 10 yards on a zone-read, playing as loose and as free and as instinctively as he did during the final four games of last season, when the Jets were encouraged by his progress.
'Obviously we have things we can improve upon and get better at,' Smith said in quotations the Jets distributed during the game. He added, 'We want to score touchdowns, but 3 points is fine.'
That Vick led the Jets to more points - 7 to 3 - than Smith did should not be interpreted as an indication of the team's offensive superiority with Vick under center. Vick's touchdown drive was aided by two personal-foul penalties by the Colts, and it came against Indianapolis's backups, a group with little experience against him.
Vick, who completed 3 of 6 passes for 17 yards and ran three times for 19 yards, has said how fast he feels, even at 34, and on a third-and-9 from his own 42, he improvised on a broken play, zipping around the left edge and past defensive lineman Jeris Pendleton for a 15-yard gain. The crowd, such as it was, roared.
If that play served as the team's highlight - more so even than Chris Johnson's 1-yard touchdown run in his Jets debut - then the most discouraging development, with the possible exception of running back Chris Ivory's rib injury, involved the retooled pass defense.
The Jets' secondary was dissected by Andrew Luck and Matt Hasselbeck, who were 8 of 10 passing for 109 yards in the first quarter. Dimitri Patterson, signed to play cornerback opposite Dee Milliner, allowed a 15-yard completion to Hakeem Nicks after falling and then gave up a 45-yard reception when he was beat by Da'Rick Rogers in one-on-one coverage.
That is the thing about the preseason games, though, especially the first one. A strong performance is viewed as an encouraging sign. A rough night? Hey, at least there are three more of these before the season starts, on Sept. 7.
That sort of consolation was relevant for a few players at a few positions Thursday, but the Jets could take comfort that they did not include the quarterback - either of them.
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