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Rex Ryan Defends Geno Smith Following West Virginia Comments

Geno's past is his past, all I care about is his future and at the moment that is looking bright.

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Raise your hand if you are tired of hearing these comments in relation to Geno Smith? We heard how he was a Diva, absolutely no evidence to support that. We heard that he was behind the curve in relation to conditioning, coaches denied it and we saw no evidence to support it. Now some West Virginia sources including Junior running back Dustin Garrison have implied that the team was severely lacking in leadership last season, and although Geno Smith was not named specifically it was implied, after all he was the starting QB and leadership is often expected from that position.

However Rex Ryan was the first to jump to his defence today:

Asked if it came him any pause about Smith’s ability to face adversity, Ryan said, “No, but it tells me I’m glad my kid never went there. Tell you that much. I don’t get that.”

“Geno was a tremendous player for West Virginia,” Ryan said. “Sometimes, I don’t know, you have to ask them. I certainly don’t get that. When somebody leaves your deal, I guess that’s up to them, you’d have to ask them.”

Maybe we are jumping to conclusions, maybe he didn't mean Geno Smith. However as a running back on the offensive side of the football, it makes sense that these comments would come back to Geno. However we have heard nothing but positive things about his command and leadership from coaches and veterans alike.

Personally I would recommend that Dustin Garrison first focus on staying on the field and then improving those pedestrian 2012 numbers. As Rex states, Geno was one hell of a player there last year.

Will this affect Geno? absolutely not!