Rex Ryan is not in the business of saying negative things about his team. Despite their 5-7 record and quarterback issues, the head coach is convinced he has the best team in the league. After voicing his faith in Geno Smith and the Jets latest draft class, Ryan has all the hope in the world that his team makes it to the playoffs this season.
The Jets are in the midst of the three-game losing streak and much of that is due to the play at quarterback. Smith has yet to toss a touchdown since before Halloween and his turnover ratio is rising higher than his completion percentage. Despite the terrible numbers and record-low passer rating, Ryan says he has the best offense in the league.
"As far as we're concerned, [it was] probably our best day of practice we've had offensively. Not that it's a good sign, it's a great sign for us. Guys came out full of energy, bouncing around. Obviously, we need that. It's just hard to explain but it was out there today," Ryan said, via the New York Daily News.
Ryan continues to stress that Smith gives the Jets the best chance at winning games over backups Matt Simms and David Garrard. The head coach says his faith comes from practices where the rookie excels and constantly out-performers his competition. That is great, Rex, but where is that come game time? Smith agrees with his head coach, noting the offense has looked great all week.
"I think we had a good practice today," Smith said. "I liked the way that we executed. I liked the tempo. I can tell guys definitely want to turn things around and we understand that we haven't played well as of late, so we're doing everything in our power to get that changed. I think that was a result of us having a good practice today. Now it's about just building consistency and turning one day into two."
The Jets could be getting a boost on offense this week as wide receiver Jeremy Kerley is expected to return after a three-game absence. This would be the first time that both Kerley and Santonio Holmes would be on the field together in eight weeks. That would at least give Smith some slight relief on the field.
The Jets are still in play for the AFC wild card. If the team wins out they could take the No. 6 seed making the playoffs a possibility. Smith will likely dictate if that happens.