Lot K Tailgaters Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 http://nypost.com/2015/11/02/the-jets-believe-in-geno-smith-and-so-should-you/ If Geno Smith is the Jets’ starting quarterback when they play the Jaguars on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, he will have the full support of his teammates. He also deserves the full support of the fans. It’s still uncertain exactly who will be under center for what has become an ultra-important game midway through the season. Both Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Jets’ top two quarterbacks, were injured in Sunday’s 34-20 loss to the Raiders in Oakland and underwent MRI exams to determine the extent of the damage. ADVERTISING Coach Todd Bowles indicated both will be evaluated during the week. Additionally, rookie Bryce Petty will be given more reps in practice and the club is exploring signing a veteran quarterback. “We’re looking at everything right now,” Bowles said. Fitzpatrick suffered a torn ligament in his left (non-throwing) thumb while scrambling during the opening drive of the game and will need surgery at some point, depending on his pain threshold. Smith bruised a shoulder and abdomen while absorbing vicious hits in the fourth quarter. Smith, the Jets’ starter the previous two seasons, finished the game and seems to have the better chance to be available against Jacksonville, offering his first opportunity to start since having his jaw broken during a locker-room altercation in training camp. “Obviously, you have to do all the evaluations and monitor everything,” Smith said Sunday. “But I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to play.” If it’s Smith, the Jets, following their “Next Man Up” mantra, will offer their full support. “Geno is a good quarterback,” defensive back Buster Skrine said. “He’s been a starter and he did a great job in camp.” What might be just as important is having the support of Jets fans, uneasy at the thought of Smith returning to a starting role. His first two years as a starter didn’t evolve into a mutual love affair. Fans became frustrated by his inconsistency and high turnover ratio. The booing was frequent and not without reason. He threw 34 interceptions against 25 touchdowns and went 11-18 as a starter, including 3-10 in 2014. There were callers to radio shows who embraced the change when Smith’s jaw was broken and Fitzpatrick, initially signed as an experienced backup, was handed the starting the job. A 4-1 start under Fitzpatrick quickly made Smith an afterthought until the bearded veteran went down on Sunday. Now the 4-3 Jets could be Geno’s team this week, testing the patience of fans who remember his difficult 2014 season and offseason. Interestingly, MetLife Stadium could be the worst place for Smith to make his first start this season. His first incomplete pass, his first interception, the first bad decision could prompt a strong negative reaction based on history. That’s not fair to Smith or to the Jets. Smith actually has earned the respect of his teammates with the way he has handled the fallout from his broken jaw — the embarrassment, the negative publicity and losing his starting job. He has worked hard, said all the right things and prepared himself for a second chance, which came against the Raiders. He made his share of mistakes — an early interception, taking sacks when he should have thrown the ball away and getting crushed on a sideline scramble when he should have gotten out of bounds. But he completed 27 of 42 for 265 yards for two touchdowns and posted a higher quarterback rating (87.9) than his career average (77.5). “I told him I was really proud of him,” wide receiver Brandon Marshall said. “It’s been a long offseason for him, listening to all the noise. It was a tough camp for obvious reasons. For him to come in and fight through it, I’m proud of the kid.” The Jets are built to where it’s not all about the quarterback. That’s why Fitzpatrick has been a success. The Jets lost in Oakland mainly because the defense was awful and never gave its offense a chance to catch up. Boo them if they pull another no-show on Sunday. Be patient with Smith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lot K Tailgaters Posted November 4, 2015 Author Share Posted November 4, 2015 Two things a lot of people don't get: 1. Bryce Petty is not ready to run an NFL offense. Nothing to do with mental toughness. He ran a college offense totally different than the way a NFL offense is run. 2. I don't care who our QB was this past Sunday when your defense gives up 34 points you will lose almost every time. Our offense regardless of the QB is not built to put up that many points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flushing Roots Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 I don't care who our QB was this past Sunday when your defense gives up 34 points you will lose almost every time. Ditto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetdawgg Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Ad the negative play from ST and you have a recipe for disaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroadwayJoe12 Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Two things a lot of people don't get: 1. Bryce Petty is not ready to run an NFL offense. Nothing to do with mental toughness. He ran a college offense totally different than the way a NFL offense is run. 2. I don't care who our QB was this past Sunday when your defense gives up 34 points you will lose almost every time. Our offense regardless of the QB is not built to put up that many points. This team is predicated on good defense and a strong running game. When your defense misses 19 tackles and your offensive line, missing arguably its best player, allows the RB to be hit at the LOS, you're sunk. Fall behind early and your running game goes out the window as well. I have no doubt in my mind that Geno's first pick was trying to get 14 points on one throw, knowing that no one was really getting open. Geno has his plenty of faults, but I do like his deep ball better than Fitzgerald's, so maybe that will open the box up for Ivory a bit. Jacksonville is a good team to get back on track before playing in Rex's super bowl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Jets fan Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 If Geno plays and does stupid things and sucks he will get boo'd. Tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prime21 Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Half of those dudes must be like "Oh crap, Geno is back" until the mic is shoved in their face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crusher Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Half of those dudes must be like "Oh crap, Geno is back" until the mic is shoved in their face. Exactly. Fitz going down and Geno stepping in sucked the life out of the team like me with the filling out of a canoli. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Of course the defense was 99 % to blame for last week's debacle. But that doesn't mean I have to get excited about Geno starting this week. I was impressed by how he played but given his history, I'm not about to agree that he is "fixed". The biggest problem for his prospects of performing well this week is that he's not going to get a full week of practice due to injury. Thus, if he plays and struggles against Jacksonville, he'll have a built-in excuse. Then he faces the Bills on short rest. Hooray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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