New York Jets legend Joe Namath is not happy with current quarterback Geno Smith, who called out the second-string QB after he suffered a knee injury against the Ravens on Sunday.
Namath watched the game and noticed Smith was standing upright on both his legs along the Jets' sidelines during the second half. That didn't sit well with Broadway Joe, an Alabama alum who was used to playing through anything in the heyday of his career.
Namath tweeted about Smith's injury:
It was bad enough that the Jets coaching staff are having trouble figuring out their current QB situation, and it doesn't seem like Namath's comment will help.
Ryan Fitzpatrick faired well during his time in the game throwing 104 passing yards on 9 of 14 passing attempts and a touchdown to lead the Jets to a 24-16 victory over the Ravens. Smith was 4 of 8 on passing attempts, had 95 passing yards, and threw a touchdown before he headed to the sidelines.
So will Fitzpatrick keep his job at the starting QB? According to SNY, Fitzpatrick said it was "pretty ironic" that he got his job again by default upon Smith's injury. When Fitzpatrick talked with the media after the game, he claimed the Jets' brass lost faith in him. "The biggest thing in this game in order to last, is to have a belief in yourself, because when the owner stops believing in you, and the GM stops believing in you and the coaches stop believing in you, sometimes all you have is yourself," Fitzpatrick said.
He added, "That’s kind of something I’ve had to deal with before, something I’m dealing with now. I just do the best to prepare and be the best quarterback I can be."
When asked about moving forward for who next week's starting QB will be, Fitzpatrick was adamant that he's the guy for the job. "I don’t know what decision they’re gonna make or what Geno’s health is gonna be like,” Fitzpatrick said. “But yeah, think I should start every week."
Fitzpatrick probably gained some points from Namath on that last quote detailing how bad he really wants his starting role back.
