Geno Smith should be feeling pretty good now that Mark Sanchez is out of the picture with the New York Jets. With the veteran quarterback officially placed on short-term injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury, the rookie should be a lock to start for at least the first eight weeks, right? Apparently Rex Ryan insists on keeping the competition for starting quarterback open, leaving Smith concerned over job security.
The rookie was thought to be in the clear as Sanchez is officially not available until Week 8 at the absolute earliest. Smith was next in line for the starting job. Ryan is giving no indication of who is the future of the franchise, instead opting to take things week-by-week.
Smith has been named the starting quarterback against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3. In the last two games, Smith and backup Matt Simms were the only active quarterbacks on the sideline. Newly signed Brady Quinn was not dress. Simms and Quinn bring very little to the table, leaving Smith upset over the lack of commitment by the Jets.
"But in this situation, you gotta play the cards that you're dealt. In my own personal time here, I think I've been treated fairly well, and I think I've been given a great chance, a great opportunity. And I got an opportunity this week once again to prove myself," Smith said, via ESPNNewYork.com.
Smith was the Jets second-round draft pick. He led the team to a last minute victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, but followed that up with a loss to the New England Patriots in Week 2. He finished that game going 15 of 35 for 214 yards and three interceptions in the fourth quarter. The late game meltdown has Ryan defending his decision to keep the competition for quarterback wide open.
"I think you get in trouble when you put dates and all that kind of stuff on things, instead of just focus on the one week," Ryan said. "That's for our [whole] team -- we want everybody to make sure that they understand, this is where our focus is, it's not going past one week. I think if you look down the road, you don't take care of your business. And so with us, everything we do is focused on Buffalo, and that's where it should be."
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that if Smith struggles there is belief that Simms will start no matter what. The quarterback has reportedly looked strong in practices and has the coaches impressed by his talents. Simms has never played in a regular-season game before, but the Jets have done crazier things. Smith heard about these comments and spoke about it on ESPN's NY 98.7 FM.
"Adam's doing his job, and I'm pretty sure whatever he put out there, he probably got some information," Smith said. "But I can tell you one thing. Within this organization, from my coaches right down to [GM] John [Idzik], Rex, all those guys -- I don't think they would have brought me in here if they didn't see the potential in me."
