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Brian Costello reports Geno Smith is going to start Sunday for the Jets against Tampa Bay. Mark Sanchez's injury handed the gig to the rookie by default.
Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has been ruled out for Sunday’s game with the Buccaneers, according to a source, meaning rookie Geno Smith will start.
This comes as no surprise as indications have been that Sanchez was not going to be ready for this game. He might not have ended up starting even if he had been.
It is unfortunate Smith won the job due to an injury, but going with Geno feels like the right move. Frequently in the NFL, teams have to balance the need to win now against developing players for the future. Going young can cost the team in the short term as the young guys struggle, but the experience can help them improve for the future. With the Jets, no such dilemma existed. Sanchez did not offer the team a legitimate chance to win. Smith is probably going to struggle at times. There will be times where it probably gets really ugly, but the season can at least become about him developing. It will be about whether he can improve and how he responds to adversity and struggles. We can find out whether the Jets should be in the market for a quarterback in a 2014 class that looks strong on paper right now or whether Geno is worth rolling with going forward.