New York Jets: Geno Smith’s career can be salvaged

By Luis Tirado Jr. | Feb 23, 2015

When the name Geno Smith comes to mind, nothing can shake off the image that all he is good for is giving up interceptions.

In just two seasons in the NFL, Smith has a career 57.5 completion percentage, 5,571 yards, 25 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. Needless to say, he’s nowhere near what a true franchise quarterback should be. Part of it could be a lack of skill but I believe it’s actually the lack of support from the New York Jets and their failure to put him in a position to succeed.

Back in 2013, Smith was thrown to the wolves when then-starting quarterback Mark Sanchez was out for the season due to a severe shoulder injury. Smith was never dubbed a franchise quarterback from the start but was treated as such without any training, guidance or even any real preparation time. Hence the rocky start to his pro career.

As a second-round draft pick, he should have been given a chance to learn the ropes by sitting out his first year or two before being considered a starter.

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Instead, his statistics clearly show that he’s in dire need of getting some new coaching and training to fix his quarterback mechanics.

Of course the Jets need to build a supporting cast around him but I’ve always believed a good quarterback can make those around him better, regardless of the talent he’s throwing to. There is still plenty of time for him to be salvaged and be put in a much-better direction towards improvement.

It all starts with his solid work ethic which shows he’s got the right mindset.

Last offseason and even so far this offseason, Smith is putting in extra work and time into becoming a better quarterback. It’s admirable since it at least shows he’s doing his part to fix his obvious issues of making poor passing decisions and making so many critical mistakes. The offseason program for the Jets doesn’t officially start until early April but Smith is already ahead of the game and working out in yet another quarterback regimen based on reports by Rich Cimini of ESPN.

Thanks to the defensive mind of ex-head coach Rex Ryan and the boneheaded personnel moves by ex-general manager John Idzik, Smith was fighting a losing battle. With most of the focus on defense and not pursuing some better options for receiving targets to build around Smith, he was pretty much hung out to dry. This must have done quite the damage to Smith and his confidence level of being able to run a successful offense.

All hope is not lost though. Now that the Jets have a brand new regime in town and it will only bode well for Smith. With a new head coach in Todd Bowles, new general manager in Mike Maccagnan and new offensive coordinator in Chan Gailey, it’s exciting to think that Smith will get a fresh new start. He can now work with a whole new leadership team, especially with a new coordinator that has an impressive resume of letting players perform to their strengths.

Of course I don’t expect Smith to miraculously change overnight and turn into an extraordinary quarterback. I do however think this refreshing change of leadership will motivate him to push himself more so than ever before. The Jets now have a good opportunity to fix their quarterback situation. They can also develop Smith to effectively get a second chance to become a decent starter once again down the road.

Dec 28, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) drops back to pass against the Miami Dolphins during the first half at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Jets need to grab a veteran quarterback via free agency or even trade for one using their sixth overall draft pick to get someone that can come right in and establish the position for the next few years. They then should announce that quarterback as the starter for the Jets to avoid any controversy which in turn effectively makes Smith a backup. Give him a year away from the spotlight to learn the ropes the right way through a veteran and the constant coaching and re-tooling from Gailey.

Overall, this kind of scenario would be ideal for the Jets to give Smith another shot at redemption while also not depending on him to be a starter again in 2015. With this new regime in place, it now gives hope that they will give him a clean slate so he can be properly coached the right way.

All it takes is the right coaching, better talent around him and the confidence that he can indeed get the job done in the future to ensure that maybe, just maybe, Smith could be the franchise quarterback the Jets have needed all along.

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