Michael Vick: I could have won Jets more games
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Watching Michael Vick shred an NFL defense at 34 years old prompts a question impossible to ignore.
What if?
What if the New York Jets had tabbed Vick to be their starting quarterback from Day 1, instead of handing the job to Geno Smith in a half-hearted competition? Would the franchise have won more games?
One player thinks so.
"In my heart, yes," Vick said Sunday after he led the Jets to a surprising 20-13 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers. "In my heart, I feel like on any team, I can be the starter. As long as it's not Aaron Rodgers or Ben Roethlisberger. And I'm not saying those guys are better quarterbacks. I'm just saying that I'm confident in my abilities. If there's an opportunity there, then, yeah.
"But, I do feel like at times, the opportunities were there but the coaches made the decisions not to do it. I totally understood everything that was taking place. It was all about developing a young quarterback, mentoring a young quarterback and giving him every opportunity to succeed. And now he has a chance to do it from afar and I think it's going to help him."
It's too late for the Jets (2-8). This victory against one of the hottest teams in the league paints a portrait of the potential the team had to start the season. The AFC playoff race, however, is saturated with contenders. Beating the Steelers (6-4) is but a bright spot in an otherwise dismal season. New York's coaching staff and front office still have to worry about their jobs. Nothing is safe.
Vick stressed he wasn't trying to start a controversy with his comments. He said he's merely that certain of his skill set.
He completed 10 of 18 passes for 132 yards, two touchdowns and added 39 yards on eight rushes. His 39 rushing yards helped him become the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for 6,000 career yards.
What Vick did Sunday, Smith couldn't do all season: he played efficiently. He protected the ball. He gave his team an opportunity. That New York waited until last week to start Vick signals the mismanagement of the position.
When Jets coach Rex Ryan — even with his future in New York delicately balanced on a failed quarterback competition — was asked if he regrets waiting to bench Smith until Week 9, he didn't hesitate.
"I never look back," Ryan said. "No reason to look back."
A follow-up question, though, couldn't hide the truth. It's hard to argue with the results.
"Yeah, I should have," Ryan said. "(Vick) played great. There's no question. But you know what? I believe in Geno Smith as well and that's the truth."
That may be the final legacy Ryan leaves with the Jets: failed experiments at quarterback. When 2009 No. 5 overall draft pick Mark Sanchez didn't pan out in New York, the team cut him. Now, he's starting for the first-place Philadelphia Eagles while Nick Foles recovers from a clavicle injury.
Smith was supposed to be the reclamation project. And with Ryan announcing after the game that he's "sticking with" Vick, it's safe to chalk up Smith's tenure as the starting quarterback with the Jets as a failure.
The mood inside the Jets locker room after the victory Sunday was different. Snapping an eight-game losing streak eases a lot of tension. Billboards still called for the firing of general manager John Idzik. Planes buzzed overhead with banners that echoed the same message.
Vick called Sunday's victory a "boost of confidence," but it's hard to classify an early-November game for a two-win team as a sign of future stability. But when asked about what lies ahead, the Jets said they weren't focused on that.
"I'm happy," linebacker Calvin Pace said. "That's all I can say. I'm happy to finally get win number two."
Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @Lorenzo_G_Reyes.
