Manish Mehta caught up with Todd Bowles. One topic that came up is whether Bowles would make a quick quarterback change if Geno Smith struggled early in the year.
"A bad two or three weeks is relative," Bowles said. "Whether it’s mental, whether it’s confidence or whether it’s physical. … All those things have to be (considered) and be determined. If you see progress among the mistakes, that’s one thing. If you don’t see any progress and you see a spiraling for any position, then it’s your job to make a move. ... I’m always fair."
I have seen the idea floated that the Jets can hedge their bets by putting an early quarterback change on the table in the event the starter gets off to a slow start. I doubt that is the case.
Here and there you might see a quarterback change spark a team, but in most cases when a team makes a change, it is already too late. A switch at the most important position on the field is a last resort.
Let's say it is just a bad two weeks, and the Jets get off to an 0-2 start. Even if you make a change at that point, such teams make the postseason at around a 10% clip these days. If it takes 10 wins to make the postseason, you also then need to rely upon either Ryan Fitzpatrick playing effectively enough to win 10 out of 14 games. (Or in the event Fitzpatrick starts, Geno Smith would have to play effectively enough to win 10 out of 14.)
The Week 1 starting quarterback is really important for the Jets. It's unlikely they can afford that starter to struggle enough to merit a benching. If Geno is the guy, the Jets are probably sinking or swimming in 2015 with him.