Smith was a controversial pick in April, but will be the starter in September. (Zennie62/Wikimedia Commons)

Seriously.

Sure, they’re over-exposed in terms of the media coverage they get. But the seemingly ever-changing power structure and almost comical futility of the quarterback situation make them at least more interesting than say, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The latest development in said quarterback situation reveals a new and unforeseen wrinkle in the seemingly eternal New York Jets saga.

See, contrary to my prediction in my most recent New York Jets article, Geno Smith was recently named the Week 1 starter for Gang Green. And with this bit of news, I realized that I had been seeing the state of the New York Jets all wrong.

Let’s start off with the beginning of the John Idzik regime.

Idzik, an experienced "capologist" from his days with the Seattle Seahawks, was hired only weeks after the end of last year’s astonishingly good 8-8 record. 

As soon as Idzik took control it was assumed that head coach Rex Ryan was on the hot seat. Because Ryan was hired in 2008 by ex-general manager Mike Tannenbaum, it was presumed that Idzik would want to bring in a head coach of his own choosing.

But it appears now that Ryan will be the head coach of the Jets for at least this year. And maybe longer. Because what happened a few months after Idzik’s hiring said a lot about the direction of the Jets franchise.

The Jets had just lost running back Shonn Greene and tight end Dustin Keller to free agency. Wide receiver Santonio Holmes tore up his knee the previous year, and even now his health status is still in doubt. And secon-year wide receiver Stephen Hill had shown potential at that point, but was still very inconsistent.

With the offense in such disarray, the Jets apparently still felt that it was important to use both of last April’s first-round draft picks on defensive players, cornerback Dee Milliner and defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson. These selections have the defensive-minded Ryan written all over them. Even though Idzik was clearly the man in charge at this point, giving Ryan control of crucial future investments at such a critical time shows Idzik’s willingness to partner with Ryan for the present and the future.

By using such high picks on the defense while failing to address the dire state of the offense, Idzik and Ryan surely realize that their team will be bad this year. And this is why their latest move, anointing rookie Geno Smith as the starting quarterback for the season opener, makes sense if they’re thinking about rebuilding for the long-term. Because while Mark Sanchez is the superior player right now, Smith has the ability to be better (and cheaper) over the next few years.

The Jets offense will be dreadful this year, possibly record-setting dreadful. But the defense definitely has some nice pieces, including one of the best players nobody knows about in defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson.

Yes, the Jets will be bad. Four or five wins is probably their ceiling this season. However, Ryan’s job appears to be safe, whether you believe it or not. Some serious questions need to be asked about Idzik if Ryan is fired, but that’s for another article.

For the present, the fact that Idzik and Ryan seemingly embrace their offensive offense should give Jets fans hope that their organization wants to build itself the right way and invest in the future.

Reach Staff Writer Andrew McKagan here or follow him on Twitter.