Harken back to Heath Ledger’s Joker battling Batman up in the sky. You remember the scene: The Joker’s boat-destruction confidence remains high as he pins the hero in a bad spot.

“And here … we … go.”

Only this time, instead of believing the worst about humanity on a survivalist level, our villain is watching something else with popcorn-in-lap: the New York Jets fans’ annual rite-of-passage prospect bickering generated only by the NFL draft.

The latest Jets fan-NFL draft hysteria happened over one of the most irresponsible social media posts a “journalist” has created in quite some time: a screenshot comparison of the bend of Ohio State’s Arvell Reese and Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr.

A close second, one that’s perhaps longer-lasting, is the quarterback buzz. We are, of course, referring to Alabama’s Ty Simpson, and how the New York Jets’ recent in-person scouting of the young signal-caller has many fans imagining a world where only a Crimson Tide gunglinger could possibly replace Joe Namath.

(Yes, many thought the same thing when the team drafted Richard Todd, but I digress.)

It’s that idea that brings us to the crux of today’s story: Imagining that blissful world is our first mistake.

As impactful as a big-boy quarterback can be in this sport, the average fan’s thinking about the position is outdated. More than ever, the quarterback position is not close to “everything,” and the New York Jets would be wise to acknowledge that certainty.

Ty Simpson is worthy, but how worthy?

Dan Orlovsky’s recent proclamation that Ty Simpson is this year’s QB1, over Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, started the party. Not only did it come out of left field, but it also helped reveal the sad state of affairs in the sports media world.

Believing Simpson is the better professional prospect shouldn’t even be close to controversial. His tape showcases more NFL-ready and impressive instances than Mendoza’s — full-field reads, longer-developing dropbacks, pocket poise and movement, etc. — and it’s not particularly close.

Jets X-Factor consumers would have already heard this opinion back in January, whether it came from Joe Blewett or me. In fact, I also have no problem calling Simpson this class’s QB1, ahead of Mendoza, the kid whose potential fatal flaw is similar to Zach Wilson’s back in 2021.

Yet, that doesn’t mean the Jets should select a Round 1 quarterback in the 2026 NFL draft. It also doesn’t mean they should automatically bypass a first-round quarterback.

The moral of this story is the mindset that should be adopted when considering the position.

Team, scheme, and coaching

Arguably, the most egregious opinion on the matter came from a blast from the past: former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum. While on ESPN, the same man who spearheaded the last coaching search that resulted in Aaron Glenn slammed his chips on the table for Ty Simpson.

“I absolutely think they should take Ty Simpson at 16, if he’s there,” Tannenbaum stated. “Look, they’re not going to take him at No. 2; that’s well documented.”

What Mikey T. said next is when he committed the great sin.

“They have four shots on goal: No. 16 (this year) and three (first-round picks) next year,” Tannenbaum added. “When you have a productive, high-character quarterback, as you do with Ty Simpson, you absolutely need to take him if you’re the Jets. The verb is scour; you have to keep going until you find one.”

That, my friends, is precisely the anti-intelligent way to think about today’s NFL. This is no longer the league where a John Elway-type quarterback is required to win a Super Bowl.

Team, scheme, and coaching

I’ll ask it again: Of all the so-called “franchise quarterbacks” in today’s league, which ones are bona fide studs who perform on an annual, consistent basis? How many are there?

Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes? Sure. Does the oft-injured Joe Burrow still count? I suppose. Does Lamar Jackson still qualify, despite his down season? We can include him.

Who else? Other than those who’d like to squeeze Super Bowl champion Jalen Hurts into the equation, there aren’t any other names who qualify.

Caleb Williams is surely on his way, and perhaps Jayden Daniels, and maybe Justin Herbert can one day get there. But the list of stone-cold, consistent franchise quarterbacks who perform on a guaranteed elite level simply does not exist.

The reality of today’s brand of football makes “team, scheme, and coaching” the things that matter most at the quarterback position.

Greg Cosell, one of the few remaining legitimate prospect evaluators in the media, often cites this idea when discussing quarterbacks. And he’s 100% correct. When evaluating NFL draft quarterbacks, it usually boils down to team, scheme, and coaching.

Quarterback is critical, but it’s not ‘everything’

It’s why, when New York Jets fans scream, “Nothing matters until my team finds a quarterback,” the shortsightedness feels baffling.

How in the world does the individual who believes that explain Sam Darnold? Is Darnold, a kid the Jets drafted third overall in 2018, one of those bonafide elite players at the position, who lifted the Seattle Seahawks to greatness? Or was he simply the right quarterback for Klint Kubiak and that Seahawks team?

The same can be said for the previously mentioned Jalen Hurts, or even Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy. Why would Trevor Lawrence, considered a generational talent, struggle so mightily before Liam Coen showed up in Jacksonville?

For this Frank Reich-led offense, the question of Simpson at No. 16 or not boils down to the Jets’ evaluation of the player and how he fits their plans. It’s that simple, and anybody attempting to cloud that idea is doing too much.

If Darren Mougey and the New York Jets love Ty Simpson as a quarterback, they should take him at No. 16. If they only love him enough to trade back into the first round, they should take that tack.

However, if they’re on the fence in any form or fashion, playing the “shots on goal” game is the worst kind of self-harm. The New York Jets roster is anything but primetime, and today’s National Football League is rapidly morphing into a place where many levels of quarterback play can win a Super Bowl.