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Geno Smith says he’s been ‘Pro Bowl caliber’ at times

By Matt Reed

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To say that Geno Smith should be a starting quarterback in the NFL is utterly absurd, but to say that he has even remotely shown signs of being a Pro Bowl caliber player, is just ludicrous. On Tuesday, Smith told Newsday at a charity event, “I’ve shown flashes of being a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback.”

"“But what we’re looking for here is consistency. The best teams have consistent quarterback play and I realize that and that’s truly what I want to show to the fans and everyone outside the building.”"

I’m glad that Smith at least realizes that he hasn’t been consistently good, but I’m not so sure that he recognizes how poor he has played. In his rookie season, the former West Virginia star managed to complete 55.8% of his passes, and threw 12 touchdowns to go along with 21 interceptions. In 2014, he hasn’t played the entire season, but his numbers have been just as bad. He’s only completing 57% of his passes, with eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Sunday was another prime example of why Geno Smith shouldn’t be starting for the New York Jets, or any team for that matter. The opening play of the game, he dropped back and immediately found a player… for the other team. Minnesota’s Gerald Hodges took Smith’s pass 27 yards for a touchdown. Ultimately, it ended up being one of Smith’s best games this season, but the team still lost.

The Jets are a mess, which is why the team’s failure can’t be completely blamed on Geno Smith. At the same time though, stability at the quarterback position is what every team needs. He had a pass in 2013 because he was a rookie and the team suffered a plethora of injuries, but this season New York added weapons to help him develop, and he truthfully doesn’t look any better than last season.

What will the New York Jets do this offseason though? This is only Smith’s second year, so he’ll be under contract next year. The team can keep him on as a backup, but is he really even capable of being a backup at this point? Much of that decision is incumbent upon Gang Green finding a coach who can develop a quarterback and help improve this offense. As bad as the Jets’ secondary is, the defense isn’t the problem.

New York will need a coach that can draft a quarterback of the future and help groom him, while possibly working with Geno Smith to see if he has any potential for being a number 2 on this team. The same can be said for Matt Simms, who has mostly worked with the practice squad, as the team’s third quarterback. He is after all Phil Simms’ son and really has deserved a chance to play through all of this mess.

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