Geno Smith has hit a real rough patch in his rookie season causing the New York Jets to once again sit in quarterback controversy. Smith's season has been riddled by turnovers. He tossed two more in the loss to the Baltimore Ravens, causing many fans to call for a benching. With Mark Sanchez out for the season, the Jets have little talent at depth. As a result, Rex Ryan is calling Smith the starting quarterback moving forward.
Ryan did not exactly give Smith a vote of confidence on Monday. The head coach said he would review all of the game tape and then decide which quarterback to start on Sunday. According to ESPNNewYork.com, that player is Smith and will remain Smith.
"Right now, I would feel he gives us the best chance to win," Ryan said.
Backup Matt Simms has seen plenty of added practice time over the past two weeks as Smith's struggles continue to get worse. Ryan would not confirm whether or not Simms would get any first-team reps this week in practice, but it can be expected that the backup will be the choice if Smith gets benched.
Veteran David Garrard was brought back out of retirement, by Ryan has not intentions of actually playing him in a game. He has been back with the team for six weeks, but has not taken a regular-season snap since 2010. Ryan views Garrard more as a mentor for Smith, something that is not working out too well.
"At times, the guy has done a nice job," Ryan said. "Geno has done a nice job here. I think the team has confidence in him and I have confidence in him. Sometimes outside influences can try to chip away at the foundation of your team, and I certainly don't need that."
The past two games have been bad for Smith. He has one touchdown and 10 interceptions to his name as his passer ratings continue to drop. His turnover total through 12 weeks is now up to 22, reaching Sanchez level. Now, the Jets are 5-6 and slipping quickly out of playoff contention. He put together his third-straight game of single digit completions after going just 9 of 22 for 127 yards against the Ravens.
"I didn't do enough, didn't get the job done," Smith said. "We didn't score a touchdown, so that's never good. Just didn't do enough. We've got to figure out ways to just get better and to put points on the board. It's pretty simple. We need to score touchdowns and put points on the board."
For now, Smith remains the guy. However, if the rookie is not careful, he will begin to get treated like Sanchez. The Jets fans cannot take too many more interceptions.
