Geno Smith Negatives
Obviously, as many fans of Gang Green know, Geno Smith has an overwhelming list of negatives too.
There are many.
Decision Making:
21 interceptions and 16 total fumbles in 31 total games is an incredible amount of mistakes for any quarterback, and it cannot be glossed over as “rookie mistakes.”
The Geno backers will point to the fact that the Jets offensive personnel was porous, at best, during Smith’s two seasons as starter. This is true. At the same time, having a Brandon Marshall on the outside doesn’t help one’s overall decision making process. That added personnel can take a mediocre offense and make it great, not take a mistake-prone QB and make him flawless.
The outrageous decisions seen from Geno during his first two seasons can only be described as befuddling. He actually made Mark Sanchez‘s decisions on the football field look decent.
Pocket Awareness:
While it’s true, that Geno is tough in the pocket, his overall awareness and feel for the position at this level is disastrous.
He doesn’t feel pressure from the sides or behind. That mental clock in his brain is non-existent.
Reading Defenses / Progressions:
If a quarterback doesn’t have the ability to scan the defense and take advantage of mismatches, it doesn’t matter what his raw abilities are and what kind of talent is lined up on the outside or in the backfield.
For the most part, Smith is a first-read thrower. The offense was loaded with three and five step drops that allowed Geno to take the snap and the ball out quickly. This can, and does work in the NFL on a regular basis. However, mismatches need to be taken advantage of at the line of scrimmage, and Geno hasn’t shown the ability to recognize and call-out mismatches.
The NFL passing attack is a matchup game. Look no further than Tom Brady to understand that.
Leadership:
The worst part about IK Enemkpali slugging Geno Smith in the jaw wasn’t even the idea that the Jets lost their starting QB.
The worst part was that their so-called leader put himself in that situation.
No matter the situation – $600 or not – if Geno was a respected leader on that squad, this ugly event in Jets history would have never taken place.
Any attempt to backup Smith here can only be deemed as rationalizing. Obviously, Enemkpali was dead wrong to do what he did, but let’s be honest, it takes two to tango.
It’s most definitely a black cloud hanging over the kid’s head. Mike Maccagnan literally handed the job to Geno. He repaid the organization by allowing this situation to get to such an extreme level.
Will his teammates even respect him to a level that a quarterback needs in the huddle?
From what I was told, Smith put his finger in Enemkpali's face during an argument and that's what led to the punch.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 11, 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz3HnI5wigQ
To top it off, Geno posted a selfie of himself on Instagram, vowing to fans that he’d be back:
I don’t care who you are, nobody could possibly think that this was a good idea.
Accuracy:
Most of the greats who’ve played the position understand that accuracy is, by far, the most critical of attributes.
Most also believe that throwers are either blessed with haven been born with the trait, or they struggle their entire careers trying to achieve it. In other words, it cannot be taught. You’re either born with accuracy or not.
Geno’s 57.9 percent completion percentage is horrid in a league that consistently witnesses all QBs over 60.
While he can hum it with the best of them, most don’t know where it’s going. Accuracy and consistency at the position have never been kind to Geno Smith as a QB in the NFL.
