Geno Smith has won the starting job of quarterback after Mark Sanchez’s disappointing season last year. Sanchez also suffered an injury that will likely keep him out for the rest of this season, after having surgery on his shoulder recently. The Jets selected Smith in this year’s draft and he just finished his second game in the league last night in a tough battle against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. This season will be a true test and a rebuilding year for that team, as the Jets are forced to decide if Smith is worthy of being a long-term solution at their most important position. Last night’s disaster of a game ended with a final score of 13-10 in favor of the Patriots.
The rookie quarterback was able to pull off a miracle for their win in week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but this game was different. First of all, the Patriots are a much tougher team to face than the Bucs and especially on defense. Smith struggled in offensive production, finishing with 15 completions on 35 attempts and 0 touchdowns in the game. He was also sacked 4 times and threw 3 interceptions, all which came in the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter was a time for the Jets to comeback and they certainly had their chances, having four opportunities to tie or take the lead, but came away with nothing, according to CBS New York. Rex Ryan is in his fifth year as head coach of the Jets and in a make it or break it year for his career, Smith will need to come up big.
Both teams struggled on the offensive end and Smith surprisingly, threw for more yards than Brady. Smith is a threat as both a runner and a passer as many of the young quarterbacks in the league seem to be, so if the Jets want to utilize him and win more games, he will have to step up his game in both aspects. If the Sanchez era is over for the Jets, which it seems to be, Smith will certainly need to step it up, but people also seem to be criticizing him before he has a chance. He is a rookie and has only played two games in his career, people are bound to make mistakes. An article on the issue was released in the New York Times with a pretty harsh statement stating that he can and will make poor reads, miss open receivers, hold on to the ball too long or throw it away when he might still make something happen with his legs. Well, sure, but every quarterback makes mistakes, and especially early on in their career.
Smith felt like the game was largely his fault and said that “I take full responsibility for this, and I will get better from it.” The Jets face the Buffalo Bills next Sunday in Smith’s next test as newcomer in the league.
Tough battle tonight. The final score at Gillette Stadium is Jets 10, Pats 13. #NYJvsNE
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 13, 2013
Former head coach of the Jets and commentator for ESPN, Herm Edwards gives his take on how Smith can improve his game and help the Jets win.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1-IBgVs5h8
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