Geno Smith is stating the obvious, he has not been playing very well. The New York Jets went through an extreme offensive slump that saw Smith not throwing a touchdown pass since Halloween. Smith credits the slump to "playing like a robot" but says that has all changed with a new offensive plan.
The Jets are just getting over a three-game losing streak where Smith tossed six interceptions and zero touchdowns. However, the team had a turnaround game against the Oakland Raiders that saw a different side of Smith. He threw for 219 yards and one interception, while also rushing for 50 yards and a score as well. It is the high-flying offensive plan that helped him play better.
"I was just playing freely," said Smith, via ESPNNewYork.com. "It goes back to not thinking about all my past mistakes. I think I got into this zone where I just tried to be way too perfect, and that's almost impossible to do at any level, especially as a rookie."
Against the Raiders, the Jets ran everything from a no-huddle offense to the read-option as the offense thrived on all cylinders. It was a much different offense from the conservative play calling featured over the past few weeks. Head coach Rex Ryan admits that Smith plays better when they let the offense fly a bit.
"Yeah, maybe so," Ryan said. "Maybe, when you look back on it, maybe I did a poor job of that, just stressing [no turnovers]. Maybe that took away from us a little bit. I'm obviously the guy responsible for that."
Smith's teammates are also hoping that the rookie quarterback can capitalize off the strong outing against the Raiders. The Jets will face a tough challenge when they go up against the Carolina Panthers. The NFC South team has the second-best defense in the league and will challenge Smith all game long. New York is on the brink of making the playoffs with a 6-7 record. Being 1-5 on the road certainly does not help their case, but if Smith can play like he did against the Raiders, the Jets have some hope.
"He had an aura about him," wide receiver David Nelson said. "You could just feel it; he was in the zone. He was like, 'Just give me the play and let's go,' getting in a rhythm and not stopping and thinking. I don't know how much we're going to do it, but I definitely think the coaches saw something valuable in it."
