Geno Smith cannot escape the bad press. The New York Jets rookie quarterback was the center of numerous negative headlines after falling to the second round of the NFL Draft. NFL analysts questioned his "dive behavior" and his ability to handle adversity. Then he fired his agents, leading to more negativity. Now, former teammates are coming out speaking against his ability to lead a team.
West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen took a subtle dig at the former quarterback, saying the team must focus on developing leaders because "it was a big issue on last year's team-in a bad way." So, Smith was not a good enough leader? Former teammates are echoing those statements.
"What's different this year is we're more a team," offensive lineman Quinton Spain said. "There ain't no I's; we don't depend on nobody. We just depend on all of us at once as a team. So I think this year will be better than last year."
Now, there were several high-profile players that departed West Virginia at the end of last season. Wide receivers Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey spent most of last season in the spotlight. However, Smith had the Heisman hype surrounding and the possibility of being a No. 1 draft pick on his shoulders. If there was a marquee player on that roster, it was him. If the team was depending on one player, it was him.
All of these statements, assuming they are about Smith, are not sitting too well with Jets head coach Rex Ryan. In a "that's my quarterback, that's my teammate" kind of way, Ryan is sticking up for Smith and his ability to lead an offense and team.
"I don't get that. Geno was a tremendous player for West Virginia," Ryan said, via ESPN.com. "I don't know, you have to ask them. I certainly don't get that. When somebody leaves your [school] ... I guess that's up to them. You have to ask them."
Ryan went as far as to say that he is glad his kid never went to that school with the way teammates are speaking out against players. Holgorsen of course went on record for saying the media is wrong in their assumptions, but did not actually stick up for Smith.
The Smith saga continues. However, on the field it appears the rookie is doing a great job of overshadowing the negativity with his playing ability. The quarterback had a strong preseason debut and continues to impressive during the quarterback competition with Mark Sanchez. Time will tell if he can lead an NFL team.
