New York Jets: Geno Smith didn’t deserve boos

Quarterback Geno Smith has seen it all so far in his few years with the New York Jets. He showed glimpses of being the real deal but the majority of the time, proved that he is nowhere near a starting caliber quarterback in the NFL. Regardless, 2015 is a clean slate for him to erase the past and build a brighter future. So far during training camp at at the time of this writing, Smith hasn’t committed a single interception and is performing well on offense.

At the annual Green and White practice of the Jets this past weekend, Smith receiving boos from about 10,000+ fans in attendance at MetLife Stadium. It wasn’t truly warranted because he’s been doing well so far in training camp as those in attendance were more than likely basing it off his past failures.

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While Smith was thrown to the wolves too early in his NFL career, his work ethic can’t be touched as he’s gone above and beyond every off season in preparation to bounce back from it all.

It’s a shame that fans decided to boo him when he first hit the field since again, how will that help his confidence heading into the regular season once the games actually start to count?

Either way, maybe Smith has to continue proving in front of the masses that he is indeed capable enough to bring the Jets back into the NFL Playoffs. Memories tend to last a lifetime and if Smith wants to silence his critics once and for all, will need to put up one heck of a season to prove his worth.

Take a look at what Smith had to say about getting booed at in addition to how things have been so far for him during training camp and more, courtesy of the Media Relations Department of the Jets:

On if he thought it was a good practice…

Yeah, we had a decent (practice) today, I think we moved the ball pretty well. But, obviously we still have things to work on. That’s a part of practice. We’re going to continue to get better and that process is going to go on the entire season. Today was good that we got to compete and the fans got to see us compete as well.

On connecting with Brandon Marshall and if it is exciting to think about the potential for the season…

I think it is exciting for all us, not just for myself, but for this offense, for this team, for the fans, the community. Everyone gets a chance to see what he brings to this offense. I think he has done a tremendous job leading the wide receiver group. He and Deck (Eric Decker) have been doing a great job with that, I can’t commend them enough for that.

On his thoughts about getting strip sacked…

If it was a game, I would have ran, but it’s practice. Guys can’t touch me, they can’t tackle me, so you’re playing in between, you don’t really know what to do. But, I would say I should have took off and ran and slid – got four or five yards and just move on to the next play.

On if he pays attention to the boos…

You know, I had a smile on my face, you should have zoomed in on me. The camera should have zoomed in on me, I had a big smile on my face. You’d think we were on the road today (joking).

On why he was smiling at the boos…

I think in two years I developed some really tough skin, so I know how to handle it now.

On if it becomes natural to hold onto the ball longer because the defense can’t touch him during practice…

Yeah, and then once that happens you’re like you got to get the clock right. You got to get that ball out fast. So you see afterward, I was just setting my feet and letting it go, trusting and letting it go. That’s the way you play the game, but sometimes in practice you get into that comfort zone. It takes preseason games and all that stuff, live action, for you to really get the live clock that you need to play with.

On if he has anything to say to fans that are impatient with him…

I won’t say anything to them. I hope they come out and keep supporting us.

Dec 28, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) at the line of scrimmage against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

On if the negativity fuels him…

Yeah, that’s when I thrive, that’s when I’m at my best. Like I said, I’ve been through a lot in two years going into my third year. You know, my rookie year it might have fazed me, I might have hung my head or it might have affected me negatively. But at this point it just rolls right off my back.

On if he is confident that he can turn the boos into cheers…

Yeah, we did it tonight. Hopefully they are a little more patient during the season. It’s a four-quarter game, the only thing that matters is that we won the game. But, you have to understand that fans are going to be fans and you don’t want to put too much emphasis on that. I don’t worry about it. I think it is more important for my teammates to see how I react to it more than anything.

On if he is pleased on how he’s limited his turnovers in camp…

I have two. You try and be perfect, but no one’s perfect. I had two fumbles, (gotten strip sacked twice). I don’t want to put too much emphasis on the negative, but those are two things I have to clean up.

On whether he goes into the building on his off day…

Yeah, I’m in there. I have to take care of my body. The camp grind wears down on all of us so it’s important that we take care of our bodies. We have preseason (game) coming up, but we have to be fresh and ready for the regular season as well.

On what he does from a football standpoint on his day off…

We’ll go watch the tape from tonight’s (practice) and I’ll go talk to Kevin (Patullo), talk to Chan (Gailey) to see their thoughts. Figure out what I need to improve on, figure out where I can lead the offense to improve and just continue to work.

On his thoughts if throwing no interceptions in practice so far is a sign of things to come…

I think it’s 50/50 with that. I know it’s only practice, but you don’t want to have turnovers at all no matter where you’re at, no matter if it’s sandlot football. With that, you just have to carry that over into the regular season. If something does happen where you have a turnover, because they do happen, you pick yourself back up and you go play harder the next play.

Jul 30, 2015; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets free safety Durell Eskridge (35) takes a handoff from quarterback Geno Smith (7) during first day of training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

On how big of a difference it’s going to be to have someone like Brandon Marshall this year…

I think tonight was a glimpse of it. His physical nature in the end zone, it’s kind of hard to guard that guy one-on-one. He can maybe draw some double teams that can open up some things in the run game for us or even open up some things for other guys. We have to see. We have to keep working. Expectations are definitely high around here. It’s a long process we have to go through. I keep talking about the process because it’s true. We have to continue to stay steadfast in our work and not get sidetracked by anything else.

On Chris Owusu dealing with a head injury…

It’s tough. You hate to see a guy who’s been having a great camp go down like that. He’s been doing a phenomenal job. He’s worked his way into the ones and he’s been making play for us. Shaquelle Evans was missing today, I think T.J. (Graham) may have had something happen but I don’t know. We want our guys to be out there. We understand injuries occur, but hopefully those guys can have a speedy recovery and get back to making plays for us.

Next: New York Jets: Brandon Marshall delivering nicely

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