Breaking out of New York Jets training camp, Geno Smith, the Jets starting quarterback, got into a locker room altercation with linebacker, Ikemefuna Enemkpali who punched Smith in the face, knocking him down and breaking his jaw. Smith will be out six to ten weeks. Let’s examine what this means for the Jets and Geno.
Smith, in his two year with the Jets, was subpar. However, in the last few games of the 2014 season, he showed some progress. In this training camp, he was progressing drastically. He had not thrown his first training camp interception until yesterday. Many within the Jets organization have said how well the West Virginia product has been progressing. Now it has been put to waste, as Smith will now miss around half the season. In the AFC East, with the New England Patriots and company, the Jets season is over. There is nothing they can do with now starter Ryan Fitzpatrick to make the playoffs.
Enemkpali, the linebacker who punched the starting quarterback, has already been released. This shows how upset the Jets are. Now let's find out what this means for Smith as a football player.
Let’s say that Fitzpatrick has a great season, contradictory to most beliefs. Will the Jets bring their starter back into the fire mid-season? If Fitzpatrick is playing really well, then Smith’s NFL career could very well be over.
Now, this could just be a speed bump because the Jets are not supposed to win this year, and if he comes back strong next season, then there is no issue.
With all of this said, this is a disgusting incident that everyone wishes could have been avoided. Nevertheless, it has happened, and right now the Jets have to look at the situation from a football perspective, and a human perspective. That is not an easy task.