Geno Smith Says “Why Not Us?”….Indeed

By Alan Schechter | Jul 19, 2014

Jun 17, 2014; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback

Geno Smith

(7) talks to media during minicamp at Atlantic Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Recently, Geno Smith made a very confident statement regarding the New York Jets’ chances. He said, “Why not us?”. Some interpreted this as overconfidence, a la Rex Ryan. Some thought it was pure confidence, but it was a statement by Smith that everyone heard, and wrote about.

When a prominent New York athlete makes a statement, everybody listens. Geno Smith is no different.

However, not only wasn’t Smith’s statement overconfident, I submit to you that he was absolutely right.

I am not even including the factor of parity, which is a major one. Simply being part of the NFL makes Geno Smith absolutely correct. Due to a hard salary cap, as we all know, every team has a chance every year. There is no division between the haves and the have-nots. Smith is right, simply because it’s true every year for every team.

More from Jets News

When this team scored, it won. For all of the talk about not having weapons, this team did show signs of being explosive. As Eric Allen talked about in his recent post, the Jets were 7-1 when they scored over twenty points. In their eight wins, the Jets averaged 26.5 points per game. With the limited options available to Smith in 2013, the team was able to put up points.

The Jets were able to put up over twenty points on multiple occasions. Why not us? Geno Smith is well aware of what this team can do.

By the way, in week three against the Buffalo Bills, the Jets posted 513 yards in total offense. That is before they made improvements to the team. Heck, they didn’t even have David Nelson in the fold yet. Now they do, as well as the improvements coming below.

Why not us? Indeed.

Then, take into account the fact that the team is CLEARLY better in 2014, and Geno Smith has it dead on. Forget the debate about “number one” receiver, is it hard to argue that Eric Decker, right now, is a better receiver than Santonio Holmes? When you look at the numbers, even taking Peyton Manning into account, it is obvious. The numbers aren’t even necessary, Decker catches everything, Holmes doesn’t.

Don’t forget about the running back position either. He may not be CJ2K anymore, but Chris Johnson was still able to top 1,000 rushing yards while injured. He is durable and can catch the ball out of the backfield.

Yet another talented weapon for Geno Smith and the Jets.

So, a team that already won eight games, has the capacity to post well more than 20 points per game, and can occasionally go over 500 yards rushing, added a top flight wide receiver, and a potential Hall of Fame running back.

Why not us? Not overconfident, Geno Smith. Absolutely right.