Geno Smith Says He's Improving

Geno Smith says he feels as though he is making progress to the NFL Network (quote transcribed by PFT).

“I’ve already made a giant leap,” Smith said. “Coming from a spread system where the biggest transition for me is going to be the footwork. It’s not as if I can’t do it, it’s the fact that I haven’t done it enough. The good amount of reps that I got in rookie camp, minicamp, OTAs has helped me make that leap and transition, and make giant strides. I was able get in with the first team and do some really good things.”

There are a lot of concepts in the Jets' offense that are totally foreign to Geno so it was not surprising to hear his first few practices were uneven. One thing that is surprising to me are the sweeping declarations some have made that the struggles in his first few practices guarantee he will be unfit to start by the beginning of the regular season. Geno might not have the full playbook at his disposal, but he seems to be a quick learner. It seems quite possible he can learn enough to be passable. The Seahawks ran a limited offense early last year for Russell Wilson and expanded it late in the year once he got more comfortable.

Unless Geno is so underprepared that his playing would damage his progress as a player, it is probably in the Jets' best interest for him to win the starting job. He clearly has the most upside of any quarterback on the team, and the team needs to get as broad of an evaluation as possible as to what Geno can do. The 2014 quarterback class looks pretty good on paper this far out. The team needs to have an idea whether taking one early is a necessity. It will be impossible to know what Geno can do if he is sitting on the bench.