Todd Bowles spoke to the media today and a lot of the press conference centered around the announcement that Geno Smith would start at QB on Sunday. We don’t normally run full transcripts but this is a good read. Here is everything Bowles said today about all four quarterbacks on the roster.<\/p>\n
On making the change to Geno Smith\u2026<\/strong> On why he was so strong in his support of Ryan Fitzpatrick after the game\u2026<\/strong> On if his decision was influenced by someone or if it was strictly his call\u2026<\/strong> On whether he saw anything on film from Fitzpatrick that changed his decision\u2026<\/strong> On whether he considers Smith and Fitzpatrick equal talents\u2026<\/strong> On whether he feels Smith gives the team the best chance to win on Sunday or if this team just needs a spark\u2026<\/strong> On whether Smith can play himself into the franchise\u2019s future plans\u2026<\/strong> On why he spoke with Mike Maccagnan and the coaching staff if the quarterback change was his decision\u2026<\/strong> On if those meetings offered any clarity\u2026<\/strong> On whether Smith is on a short leash\u2026<\/strong> On whether Fitzpatrick is the number two\u2026<\/strong> On if the choice was solely between Fitzpatrick and Smith\u2026<\/strong> On if this decision was on his mind during yesterday\u2019s conference call\u2026<\/strong> On what gives him confidence that Smith has the leadership qualities\u2026<\/strong> On Smith\u2019s leadership qualities at the quarterback position\u2026<\/strong> On whether Smith\u2019s teammates respect him\u2026<\/strong> On whether Smith will remain the starter if the Jets get eliminated from the playoffs\u2026<\/strong> On how Fitzpatrick took the news\u2026<\/strong> On whether he could potentially turn back to Fitzpatrick this season\u2026<\/strong> On whether it was a mistake to bring back Fitzpatrick\u2026<\/strong> On whether he believes he should have turned to Smith sooner\u2026<\/strong> On his comments yesterday about backups, and that backup becoming a starter today\u2026<\/strong> On what he\u2019s seen from Smith in practice so far this season\u2026<\/strong> On whether the offense changes with Smith at quarterback\u2026<\/strong> On whether Smith was any different at practice today\u2026<\/strong> On how many first team reps Smith has received during practice this season\u2026<\/strong> On whether the percentage will flip now\u2026<\/strong> On amount of practice Bryce Petty requires before he can be considered as a potential starter\u2026<\/strong> On whether he was considering a change to Smith Monday night similar to after the Houston Texans game last season\u2026<\/strong> On reason Hackenberg is not ready yet\u2026<\/strong> On why Fitzpatrick hasn\u2019t been able to make plays this year compared to last year\u2026<\/strong> On what he anticipates will change with Smith as quarterback and how the issues on offense will be corrected\u2026<\/strong> On if he wanted to see a full body of work from Fitzpatrick before making the change to Smith\u2026<\/strong> On if he believes Fitzpatrick missing OTA\u2019s and mini-camp contributed to his play thus far\u2026<\/strong> On nature of Woody Johnson\u2019s involvement in these types of decisions\u2026<\/strong> On if he talked to Johnson before deciding that Smith will be the starting quarterback\u2026<\/strong> On what his thoughts are on Smith\u2019s comments from the game\u2026<\/strong> On the comments not being gossip because he said it\u2026<\/strong> On if he takes any stock in sideline behavior\u2026<\/strong> On if he takes any stock in a backup quarterback demonstrating visible frustration after the starting quarterback throws an interception\u2026<\/strong> On if it worries him that Smith verbalized his frustration to a national broadcaster…<\/strong> Todd Bowles spoke to the media today and a lot of the press conference centered around the announcement that Geno Smith would start at QB on Sunday. We don’t normally run full transcripts but this is a good read. Here is everything Bowles said today about all four quarterbacks on the roster. On making the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":29539,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1948,6,1337],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-34144","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-breaking-news","8":"category-featured-editorials","9":"category-home-slider"},"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Geno-Smith.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peLffi-8SI","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34144"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34147,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34144\/revisions\/34147"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nI felt like it was time for a change. We had six games where we didn\u2019t play very well in five of them. The quarterback is ultimately responsible but I\u2019m responsible, the rest of the team is responsible. I felt like it would be a good time to make a chance to see what he can do. When you have guys of equal talent at a equal talent level and one\u2019s not playing as well, you try to turn to the other one. That\u2019s what we did.<\/p>\n
\nAfter the game you could ask me about anybody, I would have told you they were going to start. If I make a decision without consulting with my coaches or the general manager or the players themselves, you guys are not going to be the first to know. They are going to be the first to know. So if you ask me about anybody after the game, I would have said the same thing. But until I watch the film and we have our Monday meeting, that\u2019s when I make my decisions. So that\u2019s why I said it.<\/p>\n
\nThis was strictly my call.<\/p>\n
\nNo, it\u2019s all our fault. It\u2019s still not Fitz\u2019s fault. Fitz is not falling on the sword for anything. I take responsibility, the coaches take responsibility, the offensive line and the receivers take responsibility. But I felt it was time for a change. We got up there in the turnover category. We hadn\u2019t put any points up and we\u2019re trying to get a spark somewhere so I made the change.<\/p>\n
\nI figured they both started and played in this league. They\u2019re equal talent. They do different things well. Each of them do different things well. Going in, Geno had a shot at it last year, Fitz took it over and played well. Fitz had a shot at it this year and Geno took it over.<\/p>\n
\nLittle bit of both. We\u2019ve been stagnant on offense. Not to say we\u2019ve been playing great on defense either but we\u2019ve been stagnant on offense and we have some things in place where we think another quarterback will probably right now be beneficial.<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s too early to tell on that right now. We just want him to play against Baltimore.<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s just a protocol factor and a respect factor. That\u2019s the way I do things.<\/p>\n
\nNothing I didn\u2019t see the night before. We\u2019re all on the same page.<\/p>\n
\nGeno\u2019s our starter.<\/p>\n
\nRyan\u2019s the two.<\/p>\n
\nBryce (Petty) has only practiced for a week and Hack\u2019s (Christian Hackenberg) not ready. It was Geno or Fitz.<\/p>\n
\nThat was my thought, yes but I like to hear from the other coaches. I like to hear from management. I like to hear everybody\u2019s input.<\/p>\n
\nI think Fitz had leadership qualities but it\u2019s not about leadership now. It\u2019s also about production and we\u2019re not producing in certain areas, not just the quarterback position so we made the change. I know he\u2019s got talent, I know Fitz can lead, I know Geno can lead. It\u2019s about making plays and not turning the ball over.<\/p>\n
\nHe\u2019s played it his whole life. He\u2019s got great spunk in the huddle. He understands the game plan and he practiced the whole spring. He started in this league before. He\u2019s grown. He\u2019s spent a lot of rough years but he\u2019s grown in this league. We\u2019ll see if that transpires and he\u2019s got the opportunity to do so.<\/p>\n
\nI\u2019m sure they do. You can respect people as a player and not hang out with that person. This is football. They don\u2019t have to be best friends. They don\u2019t hate him. They all get along in the locker room. They respect his ability and he respects their ability.<\/p>\n
\nHe\u2019s our starter right now and we\u2019ll see how things go down the line. I can only go week-to-week.<\/p>\n
\nHe\u2019s a pro. I\u2019m sure he\u2019s disappointed. It was disappointing telling him but he\u2019s a pro. He understands it and he\u2019s been in it. Geno had to do it last year. Fitz has to do it this year.<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s possible I can, yes.<\/p>\n
\nI don\u2019t think it was a mistake based off what he did last year. He had the statistics and everything else. I mean he set records and everything else. You want that kind of karma and chemistry back. It just hasn\u2019t happened this year.<\/p>\n
\nNo, I don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\nI wasn\u2019t referring to him (Smith). I was referring to backups in general. Backups are backups for a reason. Either the guy in front of you is playing well and you don\u2019t have a chance to play, or you\u2019re not doing some of the things that you need to do to start. But at the time, Fitz had a great season last season. He came into the season as a starter. He earned that and he hadn\u2019t played well as of late, neither have a lot of other people, and Geno got to be the starter now. What he said on the sideline had absolutely nothing to do with my decision or how I feel.<\/p>\n
\nHe takes reps. He\u2019s been taking reps with the first team all week. Practice is easy. The games are different. I\u2019ve seen progress from a lot of people in practice that hasn\u2019t translated to Sunday. But he had an opportunity to do some things on Sunday that he\u2019s been denied from for a year and half, so we\u2019re going to see if he can do it.<\/p>\n
\nA few things change, yes.<\/p>\n
\nHe was the same. I mean he practiced the same. He\u2019s been a pro the whole time, so he\u2019s been the same today as he\u2019s always been.<\/p>\n
\nFitz gets about 70-80 (percent), Geno got about 20-30 percent.<\/p>\n
\nYes, that\u2019ll flip the other way.<\/p>\n
\nHe needs to practice a good bit. He needs to practice a good bit and get some reps. A week coming back after over a month, he needs to practice a little while.<\/p>\n
\nI had to see the film. In my mind, I had to see the film. In my mind after this game, I had to see the film to really make a decision. I saw the film and made my decision.<\/p>\n
\nYou\u2019ve got to get reps to get ready. He\u2019s a rookie quarterback and he\u2019s got three in front of him. He\u2019s not going to get enough reps to be ready to throw in there like that. He\u2019s getting plenty of scout team reps. He\u2019s learning poise in the pocket and is getting experience that way.<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s a good question. It\u2019s a little bit of everything. It\u2019s a little bit on the offensive line. It\u2019s on the coaches. It\u2019s on the receivers. It\u2019s on the running backs and it\u2019s on Fitz. We didn\u2019t gel and come together like we did last year. We haven\u2019t been producing, so I thought it was time for a change.<\/p>\n
\nWe\u2019ve got to correct it and turn the season around. It\u2019s up to the coaches to do it. It\u2019s up to the players to do it as well. We\u2019ve got some different things in for Geno and hopefully it (creates) a spark. It gives him the opportunity to play. We\u2019re 1-5 and we haven\u2019t shown any signs of progress on offense, so I made the change.<\/p>\n
\nYes, anytime you have a quarterback like that, that had a season the way he had, you give him the full confidence going into the season. If (he) has a bad game, you\u2019ve got to give him time to shake it off and do those certain types of things and come back from it. In the past four games over the course of time, we hadn\u2019t really come back from it. At that point, you\u2019ve got to start looking at other options.<\/p>\n
\nNo, I don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\nWoody is a bright guy. He owns the team. You always solicit his opinion. You always let him know what\u2019s going on with the team. It\u2019s his team to run. You try to give opinions here or there, but we talk about it and we have our own private discussions, and we go from there.<\/p>\n
\nWe talk all of the time.<\/p>\n
\nMy thoughts are that it\u2019s just gossip and I don\u2019t pay it any mind.<\/p>\n
\nHe said it to you all and you all write what you want to write. For me, it\u2019s gossip. It had no bearing on him playing or not playing or anything else he has to say on the field. It has no bearing. It\u2019s really a waste of my time.<\/p>\n
\nWhen it gets out of hand, yes. I take a lot of stock in sideline behavior.<\/p>\n
\nI\u2019ve seen starters throw frustration. I\u2019ve seen backups at every position have frustration. His story is no bigger than what it is.<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s like dirt off the back of my shoulder. I have no issues with that. Ok? Me and Geno talked. We have our discussions. I talk with everyone on this team. He knows where I stand. We have a good understanding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"