The Facts of Life, Starring New York Jets’ QB Geno Smith

Sep 12, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) rolls out of the pocket during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots won 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Remember that show from the 70’s/80’s, “The Facts of Life”? The lyrics of the theme song were: “You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life”. Those lyrics have never been more appropriate than they are right now, when talking about Geno Smith leading the New York Jets.

Much of the fan base is running the gamete of emotions with each play that Geno runs, and each game that he plays. Of course, we are all emotional as we watch the Jets play, but a lot of what is going on is more than that. We have gone all the way from people believing that he is the second coming when he makes a good throw. Others have actually suggested a move back to Mark Sanchez when Geno Smith makes a mistake.

We have to remember to be careful with this as a fan base. As we watch this year, with rookie quarterback Geno Smith at the helm of our offense, we have to try to ride the wave with more of an even keel. He is going to be the quarterback now, at least for 2013. The Jets have to see what they have. With that, we are going to take the good, the bad, and both. These are the facts of life with rookie quarterback Geno Smith.

Besides everything else, let’s be realistic. We are not talking about Andrew Luck, or RGIII, we are talking about Geno Smith. Has anyone thought about the idea that maybe, there is a REASON why Geno Smith did not get chosen in the first round? Geno Smith, even if all goes according to plan, is a project. He is not the stud prospect like the players chosen in 2012.

Will Geno Smith get better? He certainly will have every opportunity to do so, but it will take time.

“The Facts of Life”.

Along the way, he will have his moments. He has had some already. Geno Smith has shown great poise, with the ability to lead his team down the field late to score a touchdown. He can certainly stand in and take a hit, and still make a great throw. We saw a great example of this on Thursday night on the throw to Holmes when he got sandwiched.

Geno Smith has shown in both games that he has the poise to lead a football team in the NFL. He seems to have a short memory, as he can recover from an interception to play well. That isn’t something that is taught, a quarterback either has a short memory or a long one.

These are all great signs for Geno Smith, the “good” part of “The Facts of Life”.

However, as we have already seen, Geno Smith will have his “moments” too. “Moments”, this time, are in quotes. These aren’t the kind of moments that we want to have him go through, but he will.

Sep 12, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) is tackled by New England Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich (50) during the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots won 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Geno will have those occasions where his internal clock is slow, and he holds the ball for too long, and gets nailed. He is still getting used to the timing of the game at this level, it’s a little quick for him. It will happen less and less, but we will continue to see him hold the ball too long at times, and take a sack he shouldn’t take. His pocket presence still needs work, as well as his internal clock.

“The Facts of Life”

He will miss open receivers. Every quarterback does, but a rookie will especially. The college game is a lot slower, he can take extra time and still have that window to make a throw. In the NFL, not so much. That ball has to get out of there once the receiver opens up, or the window is closed. Geno will learn, but it will take time.

Geno Smith will turn the ball over as well. Thursday night hopefully will end up being the worst example, when he threw three interceptions in 11 minutes. He’s a young player, he will force the ball into small windows. He will mis-judge where he needs to hit receivers to make the catch, as he did on Thursday night. His touch will be off at times. This is what happens when you are working with a rookie quarterback.

These are the facts of life.

The point here is very simple. Don’t get too high when Geno is doing well, and don’t get too low when he is playing poorly. This is what we are in for when our team runs with a rookie quarterback.

We take the good, the bad, both, and we have the facts of life.