The initial news that Geno Smith had suffered a broken jaw after a locker room scuffle with teammate IK Enemkpali was met with some pretty hilarious takes from around the football world. Though, the situation in and of itself is no joking matter. 

Smith was pretty much the New York Jets unquestioned starter heading into the preseason. Working with the first-team offense a vast majority of the time under new coordinator Chan Gailey, the reps Smith was getting were needed to mesh with a plethora of new talent the team added in the offseason, including star receiver Brandon Marshall. 

Before you go down this road, Jets source says Bryce Petty is not ready -- "not even close" -- to assume starting role. Not the answer here.

— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) August 11, 2015

Now that Smith is sidelined for a minimum of 6-10 weeks, the starting gig will almost certainly go to veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. Reports from Jets camp indicate that rookie fourth-round pick Bryce Petty is nowhere near ready to be a starter in the NFL. In addition to this, the Jets have reached out to veteran free agents Tyler Thigpen and Rex Grossman. 

Needless to say, it's a less-than-ideal scenario for first-year head coach Todd Bowles. 

With all that said, no one can sit here and say that Fitzpatrick is automatically a major downgrade from Smith. A veteran of 10 years, the former Ivy League star has the experience to step into a starting role without the team having to make major adjustments.

Last season saw him compile a 6-6 record with 17 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions in 14 games (12 starts) with the Houston Texans. Prior to that, Fitzpatrick started nine games for the Tennessee Titans in 2013, throwing 14 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions. In fact, the former seventh-round pick was the Buffalo Bills primary starter from 2009-2012. While he wasn't the best quarterback on the planet, Fitzpatrick finished each season with more touchdowns than interceptions—putting up 23-plus touchdowns in each of his final three years with the team. 

For his part, Smith has not put up a single season that compares favorably to what Fitzpatrick has done in each of the past five years. Last season saw the enigmatic third-year quarterback put up just three wins in 13 starts while throwing as many touchdowns (13) as interceptions (13). That came on the heels of him accumulating a whopping 21 interceptions in 16 starts as a rookie. Overall, Smith has turned the ball over 42 times in 29 career starts. During that very same span, he's tallied just 32 touchdowns while leading the Jets to bottom-five scoring offenses each season. 

Even with Rex Ryan now in Western New York, the Jets primary goal this year will be to avoid turnovers on offense and rely on what should be a dominating defense. The team added Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie to a defensive backfield that struggled big time last year. And despite both contract issues as well as Sheldon Richardson's run-in with the law, the Jets boast the best 3-4 defensive line in the NFL. 

While this team is still unlikely to contend with the New England Patriots in the AFC East, any thought given to Smith's injury representing doom and gloom is a joke. He's just not that important in the grand scheme of things. That's the harsh reality for the former West Virginia standout.