One major storyline heading into this season for the New York Jets will be about who should be the starter between Michael Vick and incumbent quarterback Geno Smith, but the franchise's most memorable signal caller already knows the answer.
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According to ESPN, Joe Namath said that he believes Vick deserves to start over Smith, and that it isn't even a close competition.
"Of course, the coaches are going to decide who's out there, but, boy, I don't know any football fan that's been around for nine or 10 years that doesn't think Michael will be outstanding and probably is the best player at this time," Namath said per ESPN.
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Namath, a Hall of Fame quarterback, believes that as long as Vick eludes the injuries that have plagued him throughout his career, the starting job should be his, especially due to his familiarlarity with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.
"If Mike's healthy, I think he's the better player at this point," Namath told ESPN. "Now, Geno's got some talent, no doubt, but we've obviously seen Michael and what he can do. To have some knowledge of [Mornhinweg's] offense, I think that's an advantage, too, for Michael to make the transition. It's a matter of how sound he is."
The Jets brought in Vick to provide a veteran presence behind Smith and to give him a push. The Jets have taken a public stance that the job is Smith's to lose, though they haven't announced him as the starter officially and there is likely to be a competition in the preseason.
Smith struggled and had an up-and-down rookie season, but was able to end the campaign on a high note and led the Jets to an unlikely 8-8 finish. Namath carefully identified what Smith's troubles were.
"The safest thing for me to say, the one factual thing for me to say that I know is his passing accuracy," he said via ESPN. "The rest of it, I don't have a handle on -- his mind, what he sees, how he's doing those things. The one thing I know he has to improve on -- and he does, too -- is accuracy."
Smith went 247-for-443 (55.8 percent) in his rookie season for 3,046 yards with 12 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
After an up-and-down rookie season, it's Smith's job to lose and according to Namath, the sophomore quarterback just may very well do that.
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