Brian Costello

Brian Costello

NFL

As usual, Jets quarterback situation is a mess

The Jets organization might hold the record for most seasons with a complete mess at quarterback. Add 2013 to the list.

For the third consecutive year and more years than we can even count in the last three decades, the quarterback situation is in complete disarray. Geno Smith can’t stop throwing to the other team. No one knows if Matt Simms can actually play. Mark Sanchez is recovering from surgery and David Garrard is three years removed from his last regular-season action.

Remember when Tim Tebow was the biggest problem?

If there is a way to screw up a quarterback decision, the Jets will find it. They have proven that since Joe Namath left in 1976. Richard Todd, Matt Robinson, Browning Nagle, Glenn Foley, they’ve had some doozies.

Now, general manager John Idzik is showing he has the same poor judgment when it comes to quarterbacks many of his predecessors shared. This is not about Smith, who may someday be a good quarterback. This is about entering the season with Simms as the only viable backup.

Idzik made a mistake signing Garrard not just once, but twice. If the Jets had signed someone such as Ryan Fitzpatrick or Jason Campbell in March, he would be starting for the Jets now. You might not think either is any good, but Fitzpatrick or Campbell would be a better option than a struggling Smith as the Jets try to find a way into the playoffs.

Instead, coach Rex Ryan is left with less options than a vegetarian at the butcher’s shop. He can stick with Smith, who has proven very little this season or he can go with Simms, who has proven even less.

You can almost hear Ryan asking, “Are those my only options?”

There is Garrard, but no one around the Jets seems even lukewarm to that idea. Garrard retired in May because his knees would not stop swelling. Guess who popped up on the injury report over the last two weeks with knee problems? Plus, Garrard has not actually played since 2010 when he was with the Jaguars. At this point, he has more rust than a ’57 Chevy and probably runs as well as one, too.

It’s hard to figure out why the Jets welcomed Garrard back last month when he called, saying he was feeling good. People will say he can serve as a mentor to Smith, but that is overrated. Hire him as the assistant quarterbacks coach if you want him to guide Smith. Don’t waste a roster spot.

Mike Tannenbaum ultimately lost his job because he made bad calls on Sanchez (a contract extension) and Tebow (trading for him). Idzik is still in his honeymoon period, so he won’t be fired over anything that happens this season on the field. But he needs to solve the Jets quarterback issue in the offseason or it won’t matter what else he does.

One thing Idzik had going for him when he got the GM job was what the Seahawks accomplished last year with Russell Wilson. It looks like a brilliant draft choice that is a credit to Seattle’s front office, of which Idzik was a part. Now, he must hope he can find someone like Wilson for the Jets. Maybe he still believes it’s Smith, but it has not looked like it lately.

One thing is for sure — Idzik cannot count on Ryan (if he remains coach) to find a quarterback. Ryan has shown he knows as much about coaching a quarterback as teaching French literature. He stuck with Sanchez until it was too late, ruined Tebow’s NFL career and now seems lost as to what to do to solve the team’s current issues at the position.

Idzik inherited plenty of messes when he took this job in January. One of those was at quarterback where Sanchez had to stay because of his salary. But somehow, some way, Idzik made a bad situation even worse.