Michael Vick made waves last week when he explained he wasn't in an open competition with Geno Smith for the New York Jets' starting quarterback job.
"I think there is competition. There's no doubt," he said. "As a coach, you love it, because it's great having competition, and obviously you compete in this league with everybody. But when you have competition in your own room, that's what brings out the best in everybody. And it's an ideal situation for a coach."
Jets general manager John Idzik has built an organizational mantra around competition for all roles. Ryan continued to stand behind that company line on Wednesday.
"It's not closed competition. It's competition. And I don't mean to make light of it, but in a way, I think I should," he said. "It's the second day of OTAs, and here we have these questions. But let's let it play out, and one thing we know for certain, that a player, and not just a quarterback, but any position, rest assured, the guy that we think will give us the best opportunity to win will be the guy."
"I've said from Day 1 that Geno's going to be hard to beat out," Ryan added. "But I also said that Mike's going to have an opportunity to compete and he definitely will."
ESPN.com's Rich Cimini said that Vick "sounded brainwashed" and was "repeating talking points" when the quarterback met with reporters a short time later. Vick did maintain his opinion about his standing alongside Smith.
"Nah, it's not an open competition," he said.
Vick was repeatedly praised for being a good teammate after he lost the starting job to Nick Foles in Philadelphia. Will he behave in the same manner if he doesn't feel he's getting a fair crack at a No. 1 gig in New York?
The Jets could be headed for some summer turbulence.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" breaks down the news discusses players who could be summertime trade targets.
