"Man, good luck," he told NJ.com, reportedly amid laughter. "I don't even know who the quarterback is going to be. Good luck. I know there are three of them."
Vick, himself once a Jets veteran quarterback wedged into competition with a prospective young arm, thinks the team should pivot to Christian Hackenberg.
"I would throw Hackenberg out there," Vick said. "I would groom Petty. Listen, you've got two quarterbacks Hackenberg and [Bryce Petty] who, in their collegiate careers, were very successful. "Now, you've got to bring somebody in who can cater to them and can make that work. It's not that hard. This is not rocket science. I think sometimes, we make football rocket science. They've just got to get the right guy. I think coach [Todd] Bowles, he's smart enough."
This is an interesting time for the Jets. While owner Woody Johnson has been criticized up and down in recent years, he recently admitted he is finally pushing for a youth infusion on the roster. While this does not necessarily include the term "rebuild" I am guessing that's implied.
Comments like these from Vick, I feel, used to stick in the organization's craw and keep them competitive during times when it should have powered down the engines and focused on repairing some glaring holes that were developing on the roster. At the moment, the team is hurting across their offensive line, in the secondary, at linebacker and in the backfield. One reason? When general manager Mike Maccagnan came aboard, their immediate instinct was to take one last run at the Patriots by signing the likes of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie and trading for Brandon Marshall. They didn't trade valuable end-of-career assets for picks. They didn't play young talent and lean on a new coaching staff.
Former coach Rex Ryan, before Bowles, obviously would not allow his team to rebuild, either.
Now, they will be tasked with taking their lumps in stride. At least they'll be doing so for the right reasons.