In the past, Jets head coach Todd Bowles has said after games that he wouldn't bench his quarterback, only to do so 24 hours later. So do with the following information what you will.
After a classic hot-and-cold Ryan Fitzpatrick start on Sunday, one that resulted in a 27-23 loss that sunk the team to 3-6 on the season, Bowles told reporters that he was sticking with Fitzpatrick providing he was healthy. Fitzpatrick was 17-of-28 for 193 yards, a touchdown and two picks. One of the two interceptions was on a clear communication error which the Jets may not have pegged to Fitzpatrick. The other was to a 300-pound defensive lineman who drifted into zone coverage and had a football drilled into his gut.
Adding to the intrigue, Fitzpatrick told reporters he was receiving an MRI on his knee.
There will be enough hot takes -- including my own -- on this decision to fill Bowles' clip sheet on Monday morning. The Jets have three quarterbacks on the active roster, two of which were draft picks in Bowles' first two seasons. Neither of them have started a game this season in lieu of the 33-year-old veteran who will almost certainly not be playing there next year.
The team is 3-6 in a division where the winner has been decided since 2000. See what you have in Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg -- yadda yadda yadda -- this is nothing a Jets fan hasn't heard before or screamed into their home phone line at a local talk radio host. The time for Bowles to actually pull the trigger is drawing near. Whether or not he will remains the big question. The Jets are determined not to bungle the Hackenberg pick just like the franchise has with nearly every quarterback selection since the Gerald Ford administration, and perhaps loading him up for opening day 2017 without any horrible NFL memories is part of that plan. That still leaves no excuse for Petty.
