Geno Smith GIF Breakdown - NYJ@NYG

On Saturday night, Geno Smith and the New York Jets faced off against the New York Giants. It was Smith's debut start, and things didn't exactly go to plan. Much has been made about Smith's three interceptions and safety, and if you were to look that, you'd think Smith was absolutely atrocious. The truth is far more subtle, however.

Anthony Becht has said that it was the most accurate performance of a New York quarterback since Chad Pennington. In my opinion, Becht isn't far off. We saw Smith do things that Mark Sanchez has never been able to do, at least not consistently, such as complete a screen pass and accurately place a ball.

As these GIFs will show, Smith had an okay night. It wasn't great, but it wasn't atrocious either. Many of the mistakes he made were simply rookie nerves that are doubtful to ever occur again. On the whole, watching through each of Smith's throws, he was accurate, save a few exceptions. There were many positives to be taken from his game, and there's not much to go but up. So without further ado, let's take a look at the GIFs. I chose five plays, three positives, and two negatives:

First quarter, 11:36 remaining. Smith maintains excellent footwork, shuffling he feet while keeping a solid base beneath him. He places the ball perfectly for the receiver to catch it, demonstrating excellent touch and arm strength. Unfortunately, Stephen Hill is shoved to the ground, forcing an incompletion and a flag for pass interference.

First quarter, 9:08 remaining. Smith looks off his first two reads, eventually settling on Ben Obomanu, who is wide open on a crossing route. Smith accurately places the ball, allowing Obomanu to quickly get up field for the touchdown.

First quarter, :36 remaining. Smith is hurried with almost immediate pressure and rifles the ball out too quickly and too forcefully, causing it to sail high.

Second quarter, 8:33 remaining. Smith immediately notices Hill running free, and perfectly places the ball between the cornerback and the safety. Almost any other throw likely would have resulted in an incomplete pass.

Second quarter, 7:51 remaining. Justin Tuck fakes a blitz and drops back into coverage. It doesn't appear that Smith ever saw Tuck, and he commits a rookie mistake by not recognizing the zone blitz.