Jets quarterback carousel only makes fans sick

Brady Quinn is the latest signing in a long line of uninspiring choices.

Sep 2, 2013, 5:50 PM UTC

The Star-Ledger-USA TODAY Sports

It's common practice for some of the lower-tier quarterbacks in the NFL to make minor news in the final week of the NFL preseason. For most teams, it's an effort to settle final depth charts with players who will likely be inactive most weeks. Then there's the New York Jets.

Brady Quinn is the latest addition announced by the team on Monday, who dumped Graham Harrell in the process. Quinn is the latest in a long line of uninspiring options, a list that reads like a Who's Who of names you do not want starting for your franchise: Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith, Greg McElroy, Matt Simms, Harrell and now Quinn.

To Smith’s credit, the second-round pick has obvious potential despite an extremely poor showing in the Jets’ preseason. It’s way too early to label Smith as a bust this early, but he’s also hardly ready for the role of starting quarterback in the Big Apple. If he starts any games for the team this year, they’re likely to yield painful results. But the team already seems destined for just that as it is.

As for the other options, general manager John Idzik is simply rearranging the Titanic’s deck chairs at this point. If the team can eke out even a handful of wins, it will be a Rex Ryan-sized miracle. Here’s a quick rundown of the players under center for the Jets in 2013:

Mark Sanchez, Career QB Rating: 71.7
The team's starting quarterback for the last four seasons, has been the league's worst in that span. Jon Bois explains it best, but if you're too lazy to read the article linked, just know that Joey Harrington was a better quarterback over his tenure with the Lions than Sanchez has been with the Jets. He also has an injured shoulder.

Geno Smith, Career QB Rating: n/a
Smith has yet to make his official NFL debut, but the preseason results aren’t pretty. In two games, Smith had one touchdown and three interceptions and a 54.6 passer rating. He’s a project on a team that will likely thrust him into the spotlight. Anyone involved in such a decision is likely destined for a new career -- or at least a new team next year.

Brady Quinn, Career QB Rating: 64.4
The former Browns draft pick went 1-6 as a starter for the Kansas City Chiefs last season, and co-helmed the NFL's worst team along with Matt Cassel. The good news: he knows how to pilot a team straight to the No. 1 pick.

Matt Simms, Career QB Rating: n/a
Like Smith, Simms has yet to appear in an NFL game. However, Simms should fall right in line since he completed 43 percent of his passes as a senior at Tennessee. He also threw for zero touchdowns and three interceptions. The upside is that he knows how to celebrate his few successes.

The Jets have already gotten rid of Tim Tebow, Graham Harrell and Greg McElroy, but those names aren't any more or less impressive than the aforementioned candidates. In a league that lives and dies at the quarterback position, the Jets are poised for a long, miserable season.

For Jets fans, it's a frustrating idea that the team has so completely mishandled the quarterback position to this point. After all, the AFC East looks more vulnerable than it has in several years. Perhaps the Patriots will repeat. Maybe the Bills or Dolphins can surprise. As for the Jets, their fate was sealed the moment they decided to avoid taking drastic measures at quarterback.