While the jury has yet to come back with a verdict on New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith, he does possess some unique qualities.
By Robby Sabo
He’s still going to have to get it done in September and beyond.
New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith has played his way into this scenario. A TD-INT ratio of 34-25 during his first two NFL seasons has many ranking him the absolute worst starting quarterback in the league, a poll done by league insiders via ESPN.
He’s displayed boneheaded moments that have had Jets fans pulling their hair out at every turn. Tossing interceptions on screen plays; not securing the ball while on his own goalline; and throwing into traffic time and again; Geno has been his own worse enemy.
At the same time, it hasn’t been so completely dreadful that he’s played himself out of the league.
For every three disasters, he’s provided one flash of brilliance.
How about his first ever NFL game for instance. Starting as a rookie – assisted by Rex Ryan’s decision to leave incumbent starter Mark Sanchez in a preseason game to get injured against the Giants – Smith led a fourth-quarter comeback against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It was the LaVonte David late-hit that capped it off:
Fast-forward several weeks to Monday Night Football. Geno and the Jets entered Atlanta as heavy underdogs. Despite that, and trailing late in the game, Smith took New York on an even more impressive two-minute drive capping off in a victory.
His rookie campaign ended with an average output of 3,046 yards, 12 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. He also contributed with six touchdowns and 366 yards on the ground.
More than stats, he flashed a serious quality of having “it” at the end of games. Some of his play could be described as “clutch.”
In 2014, he neither progressed or regressed. His final TD/INT ratio turned out to be even at 13-13, but he never stood a chance with how poor the overall talent was on both sides of the ball.
Heading into 2015, Jets training camp has provided rave reviews about the 24-year old kid out of West Virginia. Even second-year Jet Eric Decker has been impressed.
So, while we ponder whether or not Geno has what it takes to lead an offense to legitimacy, we’ll provide five of his positives as an NFL quarterback:
Gunslinger Mentality
This so-called positive is also a negative. When an NFL signal-caller possesses that gunslinger mentality, he plays with fire on almost every single throw. The difference between a breathtaking skinny post touchdown or a pick-six could often be a fraction of an inch.
Although, many could argue no NFL quarterback can succeed if he doesn’t possess this attitude. They must be cool, confident and cutthroat (see Tom Brady).
Geno Smith absolutely has the gunslinger mentality. While it’s hurt him at times over the course of his first two-seasons, this quality has also been taken away from him by his head coach.
There’s no question that Rex Ryan believed in his defense. He’s a defensive genius, in fact. But that positive about Rex turns into a solid negative when handling quarterbacks and offenses.
He drilled the thought of “no turnovers” into Geno’s head to such an extent that he actually rattled the kid’s confidence. Instead of making the confident, accurate throw, Geno would often second-guess himself and completely botch the play.
Rex’s philosophy has always revolved around the defense winning ballgames and the offense just “not screwing it up.”
You simply cannot win that way in today’s NFL.
It’ll be interesting to see how head coach Todd Bowles handles Smith. Everything the rookie coach has said since he took charge has pointed in the direction of a balanced offense.
Mobility
Remember the days of Robert Griffin III, Tim Tebow and Colin Kaepernick tearing the league up with their read-options and spread offenses?
Well, those days are long gone. The only reason the read-option worked so well a few seasons ago was because it was fresh. Defenses took the offseason to figure it out and the college-fad worked its course.
Now, RGIII and Kap are struggling because they simply aren’t classic, pocket-passing guys.
Regardless of the read-option fading from the pro-game, it’s still used in increments, and possessing a quarterback that can feature a little mobility is always a positive.
Smith, despite not being thought of as a classic read-option guy coming out of college, has done efficient work with that look. He’s piled up seven touchdowns and 704 yards on the ground through four seasons.
When he’s using his legs in improvisation, it provides a valuable weapon to go along with his pocket game.
Toughness
Much like the gunslinger positive, toughness is another double-edged sword.
Every coach and fan loves to see his quarterback display a level of toughness, but they’d also want their leader to not put himself in situations where he needs to display it so often.
This is something Geno needs to work on. Too frequently he actually puts himself in harms way, something that will eventually catch up to him in such a violent league.
Still though, the kid always seems to get up after a rough hit. It might take him a while, but he dusts it off and continues on.
In fact, his best attribute might be the idea of him hanging in the middle of the pocket. Oftentimes young quarterbacks will feel the pressure too early and fire an ill-advised pass because pressure is coming right up the gut.
Watch Geno this season. When he’s in the pocket and he knows something is going to come available to him down the field, he hangs in there and accepts punishment while stepping up and throwing the ball with the best of them.
Versatility
Geno Smith did run a version of the spread offense at West Virginia. However, he was considered a pocket-passer heading into the 2013 NFL Draft.
The guy can literally make every throw. He has the arm strength and shows flashes of accuracy that deliver first-round talent.
This is the type of versatility NFL organizations are looking for in their franchise QB.
What plagues Smith is what’s between the ears.
Many question his learning ability and decision making on the field. He’ll make one brilliant play and then come up with three of the worst decisions of all-time.
Hopefully, new offensive coordinator – and serious veteran of the league – Chan Gailey can help him.
What’s good about Gailey is that his offense is completely adjustable. He doesn’t stick to one idea or personnel package. He builds offense around the players on the team, not the other way around.
This is something that has gotten lost in the league in recent years. Hopefully Bowles made the right call with this offensive coordinator.
Clutch Play
Touched on earlier in the intro, Geno Smith has shown us glimpses of clutch play during his first two seasons.
The comeback victory against the Bucs in his very first game and the Monday Night Football two-minute drive that had America take notice are just two examples.
In just 29-games started, Geno already has four fourth-quarter comebacks and seven game winning drives under his belt.
It’s part of his “forget about the bad” attitude that allows Smith to play great when the money is on the line. Actually, it’s when he doesn’t have to “over-think” things that he plays better.
Perhaps Rex Ryan made him think too much. Perhaps drilling the idea of “don’t screw it up” in the youngsters brain to a ridiculous point made things worse. You can actually say the same for Mark Sanchez.
Both of these guys didn’t get better under Rex, they got worse. They regressed.
It’ll be interesting to see what Geno Smith does under a head coach who understands a high-powered offense is essential in today’s NFL.