New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith is already throwing again, and already making claims that everybody should get ready for his return.
By Robby Sabo
Not even a week has gone by since the “punch heard round the locker room” and we’ve seen multiple headlines.
First the chatter revolved around a “sucker punch” that would end the NFL career of one IK Enemkpali. Then came the waiver wire pickup of Enemkpali by Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills.
To top that off we’ve since heard that New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith actually got in the face of Enemkpali to add fuel to the fire of the infamous hay-maker. Lastly, Enemkpali apologized to seemingly everybody aside from Geno himself.
What else do we need to endure? Perhaps we can call it “Punch-Gate” and get Roger Goodell and Tom Brady involved.
Let’s get away from that terrorizing thought and discuss the latest headline surrounding the incident. Geno is now throwing again and already talking to the media.
According to Amanda Lozado of the New York Post, Geno is already staking his claim to “coming back.”
“Get ready for me to come back,” Smith told the Post on Saturday.
The New York Post caught the third year quarterback throwing a football to a friend outside his apartment near the Jets Florham Park, NJ training complex.
The man was shirtless wearing eye black. Yes, wearing eye black outside of his apartment.
“I feel great,” he told the Post. “You see me throwing, right?”
His message to Jets fans was quite simple, sort of the same attitude he displayed in his Instagram post following the incident:
“Get ready for me to come back.”
Only a rational human being can ask the following question.
Get ready for what?
Are we supposed to clamor over a TD-INT ratio of 25/34? Are we getting ready for inconsistent nature of play and leadership that Jets fans have been accustomed to over the last two years?
Are we waiting with bated breathe for the guy who was defended by any of his teammates during or after the infamous incident?
Sure, there was that last hope of Smith coming into a fresh season with a new regime and newly-acquired weapons. Jets fans were looking forward to Geno this season – if only to witness his final chapter as a failed early round pick or an actual step in the right direction.
After this incident though, do his teammates even want him back?
IK Enemkpali recently spoke with the Post as well, discussing how his former Jets teammates have been calling him, curious to know how he’s been holding up.
“They called to see how I’m doing and called to check on me,” said Enemkpali, who was cut from Gang Green after Tuesday’s tussle.
So on one hand we have current teammates not sticking up for their quarterback publicly and on the other the face-basher is receiving all the love.
When asked to comment about the incident, Smith said “no comment.” This is the smartest thing he’s done.
Anything short of apologizing to the Jets organization, teammates and Enemkpali himself, Geno needs to stay quiet and humble.
Take the licks, stay out of the media spotlight, and work your way back onto the field. Admittedly these recent words came from a New York newspaper doing what it does best (finding people).
Still though, don’t give them any quotes to print. Not even the words of “get ready for my return.”
Confidence is fine, but confidence in the media spotlight is the exact opposite sentiment fans are looking for at the moment.
Do your business silently.
[su_button url=”https://elitesportsny.com/2015/08/15/new-york-jets-could-fitzpatrick-be-reincarnation-of-testaverde/” target=”blank” background=”#000080″ size=”10″ wide=”yes” radius=”0″]NEXT: Is Fitzpatrick Reincarnation of Testaverde?[/su_button]
