Jets in market for QB again?
Gregory, Ray raise concerns before draft
Not long ago, Geno Smith was the exciting new quarterback, the young guy with the big arm who was the future of the Jets.
Two years after New York drafted him in the second round, Smith’s status is uncertain.
The Jets hold the No. 6 pick Thursday night, and many fans are hoping Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota ends up on their team.
“You have to expect anything,” Smith said Wednesday. “But going out there, I believe this is my team.”
While new general manager Mike Maccagnan has addressed several of the team’s needs in free agency, the quarterback position could still be a glaring weak spot.
For frustrated Jets fans, that’s nothing new. Since Joe Namath’s last game with the Jets in 1976, the franchise has been seeking a quarterback who could help lead New York to the Super Bowl. A handful — Richard Todd, Ken O’Brien, Vinny Testaverde, Chad Pennington and Mark Sanchez — have come close, but never sustained the type of success befitting a franchise- type quarterback.
Smith, who replaced an injured Sanchez during training camp in 2013, has 25 touchdowns and 34 interceptions in two seasons, giving him a tenuous hold on the starting job. The Jets traded for veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has familiarity with new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s system from their days in Buffalo and could be the 28th quarterback to start for the team since Broadway Joe if Smith can’t hold him off.
Owner Woody Johnson gave Smith a vote of confidence at a charity event in New York on Tuesday night, predicting that he is “going to mature” and not make youthful mistakes.
Red flags?: Shane Ray and Randy Gregory, two players who could help any NFL team’s defense, didn’t help themselves in the lead- in to the draft.
On Wednesday at a league- sponsored event, the Missouri defensive end and the Nebraska linebacker owned up to their errors involving marijuana, both hoping such transgressions won’t mean they fall during Thursday night’s opening round. Or slip out of the round entirely.
Ray was issued a misdemeanor citation Monday morning after a trooper found a small amount of marijuana in the player’s car. Gregory tested positive for marijuana at the NFL combine in February.
“I’m learning from this. It’s a learning curve and I have to keep on the road,” said Ray, who added he spoke with Commissioner Roger Goodell and was told to “look forward, not just harp on this.
“This is not any indication of who I am. I made a bad decision.”
Gregory said, “I made a mistake, I know. I’m 22 years old. I can’t justify it. “The thing is to try to be the best professional I can.”
Cowboys: Kansas prosecutors declined to bring felony charges against running back Joseph Randle following a domestic disturbance at a hotel inWichita, saying they concluded after reviewing the extensive police investigation that there is a lack of evidence to support them.