New York Jets: The Curious Case of Geno Smith

Geno Smith. Now there is a name that has polarized the Jets fan base of late. Who can be surprised about this? The New York Jets young quarterback has been an enigma, showing flashes of a quarterback that could be the guy for the near future. For the rest of the time, however, he, well, doesn’t. Smith plays like a guy that doesn’t understand when a blitz is coming, can’t follow his reads or hit the open man.

Let’s take a look back.

Oct 7, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) runs the ball in the second half against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The Jets won 30-28. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

The highlight of Geno Smith’s early rookie season was the game against Atlanta. Geno led the Jets to a game-winning field goal late in the game, but was huge throughout. Geno completed 16-20 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns. His passer rating was 147.7, about as good as it can be. At that point, many of us thought that Geno Smith might just be on his way.

Nov 24, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Little did we know, however, that Geno Smith would throw only one touchdown pass over the next 7 games. He threw nine interceptions over those seven games, and everyone was thinking it was time for Matt Simms, and that we should say goodbye to Geno Smith. Knowing Geno is young, the Jets stuck with him and it started to pay off at the end of the 2013 season.

Over the final three weeks of the 2013 season, Geno Smith threw three touchdown passes versus only one interception. Geno’s lack of turnovers of the final games started to give the impression that he finally “got it”. Geno Smith was managing the football game, and putting the Jets in a position to win, and they won two out of those final three games to finish 8-8, and provide optimism heading into the 2014 season.

Sep 7, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback

Derek Carr

(4) and New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) meet at midfield after a game at MetLife Stadium. The Jets defeated the Raiders 19-14. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The strong play by Geno Smith spilled over into the first week of the 2014 season. The Jets won the first game of the year, and Geno Smith played well. Geno was 23-28 through the air for 221 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Jets won, and hope was abounding in Jets Nation.

Oct 5, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) passes during the second quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Who knew that the Raiders game would be the last win of the year for Geno, prior to getting benched? Geno Smith went backwards, culminating in low points that were as low as there have ever been for a quarterback. The Chargers game, pictured above, was the first benching, when Geno Smith was 4-12 for 27 yards before sitting down in favor of Michael Vick. Two weeks later, Geno was benched once again after throwing three straight interceptions against the Buffalo Bills.

Now what?

Dec 14, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) runs with the ball against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at LP Field. The Jets beat the Titans 16-11. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

Over the last two weeks, Geno Smith has shown signs of starting to “get it”. Though only winning one of the games, Geno Smith’s play has been much improved. He has only turned the ball over once over the two weeks, and posted a passer rating of over 87 each week. Geno has been decisive, and put his team in a position to win.