Michael Vick Named Jets' Starting QB for Week 9 vs. Chiefs

Michael Vick has officially been named the starting quarterback for the New York Jets' Week 9 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.         

Second-year quarterback Geno Smith had been the team's starter for the first eight games and accumulated a 1-7 record, which has led head coach Rex Ryan to turn to Vick, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter:

According to NFL.com, Ryan made sure to note this could be temporary:

In fact, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported the head coach did not want to make any statements about the team even past this week:

Smith is apparently also suffering from a shoulder injury, according to Judy Battista of NFL.com:

Vick spoke to reporters following the announcement and shared his comments on the situation:

Smith threw three interceptions in the Week 8 loss to the Buffalo Bills in only eight attempts. He completed two passes for a total of five yards before sitting out the rest of the game.

Vick came in and helped move the football a little bit but was not much better, going 18-of-36 for 153 passing yards, no touchdowns and an interception. He did have 69 rushing yards, though a lot of this was countered by fumbling the ball four times and losing two of them, dropping his Total QBR to just 19 out of 100.

Despite the struggles, Ryan appreciated the impact of the 34-year-old veteran, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post:

The Jets will try to snap what has become a seven-game losing streak since winning in Week 1 against the Oakland Raiders.

Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network weighed in on Vick's start against his former coach:

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Meanwhile, Smith will hope to get another chance after struggling to start his career. Last year's second-round pick has now thrown 31 career interceptions to go with just 19 touchdowns in 24 games. He has a 66.2 quarterback rating in one-and-a-half seasons.

Ryan believes the time on the bench could help the young quarterback learn:

Either way, it seems things cannot get much worse for a team currently 1-7 with the worst-ranked passing offense in the league.

If Vick is not the answer over the next few weeks, it might be time for the Jets to start looking at new options in the draft.

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