New York Jets fans were hoping Geno Smith could be the second coming of Robert Griffin III in terms of rookie success. The team was coming off a bad season with Mark Sanchez at the helms and an injury opened the door for Smith to start creating his legacy right away. However, statistically speaking his rookie season is mirroring that of Sanchez's, but Smith is insisting he is not the same quarterback as his predecessor.
"No, I'm not Mark," said Smith, via ESPN.com. "I don't think it's fair to compare his season to mine. It's two different seasons, two different guys, two different players, two different styles, two different systems. I know you guys want to compare every single thing, but it doesn't make a difference."
Unfortunately for Smith, he is Sanchez in the form of numbers. So far this season, Smith has completely 56.3 percent of his passes, with eight touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Sanchez completed 53.8 percent of his passes, with 12 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. Both fumbled around 10 times and demonstrated the same kind of inconsistencies. It appears history is simply repeating itself.
"Unfortunately, yes," linebacker Calvin Pace said. "I guess it's to be expected when you've got a guy and it's his first year doing it at this level. He's going to have some ups and downs. ... Hopefully, he can lean on the running game this week and some guys make some plays for him. I don't care about yards or what-not. It's just tough to win games when you have turnovers."
Pace clarified his statements saying he was confident that Smith would bounce back after the loss to the Buffalo Bills where the rookie was constantly bullied by their defensive front. Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus told reporters after that game that he knew Buffalo had smith when they put the first hit on the rookie. He then noted that Smith looked scattered and lost, resulting in four turnovers. The quarterback disagreed with the evaluation.
"You want to build that perception that you're a tough guy, that you can stand back there in the pocket and make the throws and take the hits and make the reads and be good," Smith said. "At the same time, I understand that's part of the game. You're going to get hit. I just didn't play well."
Smith has a few more games to prove himself the better quarterback than Sanchez. The Jets are still in position to make the playoffs, so the rookie's legacy is still forming. However, if turnovers continue than a healthy Sanchez could return as the starter.
