Quarterback Michael Vick led the New York Jets to the most improbable win of 2014 when they upset the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10, just their second win of the season. It was only Vick's second start of the year, and the veteran admitted after the game that he thinks the Jets would have more wins if he had been starting all season. Now, Jets running back Chris Johnson has backed him up, saying the season would look "totally different" if Vick had been the starting quarterback from Week 1, according to Seth Walder of the New York Daily News.
Chris Johnson says Michael Vick was Jets’ best option at QB all along
The Jets running back admitted that Vick should have been the starter all season.
Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Vick replaced second-year quarterback Geno Smith, who started the first eight games of the year. The Jets went 1-7 in those games with Smith completing 56.2 of his passes with just seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions. With Vick as the starter, the Jets are 1-1, but even in the Week 9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Vick kept them competitive for four quarters in a 14-point loss.
New York Jets
New York Jets
Johnson, who like Vick is in his first year with the Jets, thinks that Vick’s experience could have helped the team from the beginning of the season:
Yeah, I think so. I think if he was starting from day one it would be totally different. He came in and his role was to help Geno (Smith) develop and try to help him the best he can, but at the end of the day it turned out how it turned out and (we’ve) just got to live with it.
In 12 seasons, Vick has played in 136 games and thrown for more than 22,000 yards along with 131 touchdown passes. Even at 34, his running abilities have been on full display. Against the Steelers, Vick ran for 39 yards and became the first quarterback in NFL history for rush for 6,000 yards in his career. This year, he’s completing 55.9 percent of his passes with three touchdowns versus just one interception. He’s added 149 rushing yards on 24 attempts on the ground.
With Smith still figuring how out to play in the NFL, a veteran under center could help not only the young quarterback learn the ropes, but also help the team put together a better second half to the season.
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