New York Jets Must Start Mark Sanchez Over Geno Smith

By Michael Moraitis--Featured Columnist

The debate continues to rage about who the New York Jets should start behind center Week 1 of the 2013 NFL season, but it's obvious that the Jets should choose Mark Sanchez over Geno Smith.

This decision shouldn't be based on training camp performance alone. As of right now, however, Smith seems to be outplaying Sanchez for the right to the starting job, per Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.

That's really no surprise quite honestly because there's no question Sanchez has totally lost whatever potential it is he had just a few years ago. Not to mention, Smith's athleticism and arm are superior to that of Sanchez's and the Jets horrid offense would no doubt benefit from a quarterback who can extend plays with his legs.

But that's where supporters of Smith should stop and really think about what's best for the young rookie quarterback. Granted, Smith would be my first choice if circumstances were different and having him on the field would give Jets fans something to watch and care about this season.

Still, it's just not a smart move considering New York has next to zero weapons for Smith to throw to and even less of a running game behind him. That problem is exacerbated by the fact that Santonio Holmes may not be ready to play this season after missing much of last year's campaign.

How on Earth could the Jets consider throwing Smith out there Week 1 without anything legit to work with?

Doing so will only set Smith up for disaster and in turn, that could stunt his growth before he even gets his career off the ground. To make matters worse, if the Jets feel the need to pull Smith during the season in favor of Sanchez, that would no doubt be a huge step back for the West Virginia product.

There is simply no harm in making Smith wait another season while the organization continues to put the personnel in place to give its new quarterback a chance to succeed in the future. After all, isn't that what Smith represents?

This team has no aspirations of winning now aside from the fact that the head coach, Rex Ryan, needs a miraculous season to save his job. Even with that being the case, let's hope Rex does what's best for Smith and not what potentially could be best for him while disregarding Smith's career.

It would be a typical Jets move if they were to throw Smith on the field as the starter for headline purposes and that's why that scenario can't be discounted in the least bit. Instead, New York needs to have some patience and give it until half the season or maybe more until they start the Geno Smith experiment.