They entered simultaneously; Geno Smith from one sideline, Darrelle Revis from the other. Cheers for the new Jets quarterback, jeers for the old Jets cornerback. Cheers every time Geno Smith showed them the future, jeers every time Revis reminded them of the past on his treacherous island.
And when the Jets 18, Bucs 17 roller-coaster ride had ended Sunday, you couldn’t help but conclude the Jets will need their new quarterback more than they will need their old cornerback.
You couldn’t help but think that whether Mark Sanchez has a partially torn labrum or a dislocated shoulder, it shouldn’t matter anymore, it is time for this crazy, ongoing quarterback competition to end.
Smith (24-for-38, 256 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 80.6 QB rating) should no longer be viewed as the Quarterback of the Future. He is the Quarterback of The Future Is Now.
Of course there will be growing pains — a fumble and an interception in the first half — but let’s see the kid grow during this rebuilding season.
He has a presence of mind and composure beyond his 22 years, and beyond what Sanchez has displayed the last two years, and the kind of mobility (team-high 47 rushing yards) that can extend plays and get him out of trouble.
He apparently thought the fourth quarter of his first NFL game was just another season opener against Marshall.
“I love playing with a team like this,” Smith said, “because you don’t have to go out there and try to be Superman.”
But he’s much more than Clark Kent.
A 14-12 game for the Buccaneers had become a 15-14 game for the Jets, and then it had become a 17-15 game for the Bucs when the football gods turned to Geno Smith and said: “OK, kid. You asked for this. You wanted this moment. Here it is. You want this job. Show us what you got.”
And as he walked onto the field, 34 seconds and no timeouts in his possession, first down at his 20-yard line, Smith had something to say to Willie Colon: “Give me some time. Give me some protection.”
“I got you,” Colon said.
So they gave him some time, gave him some protection, and Smith fired a bullet over the middle for Kellen Winslow for 25 yards, then spiked the ball. Fifteen seconds left.
“No matter what happens, the kid’s composure is ice,” Colon said. “You got to have those veins when you’re a quarterback, especially in this market and in this city.”
Ge-No Problem, indeed. Geno Ice, from the shotgun, scrambled around right end … and knew he had to get out of bounds … and did, for 10 yards at the Tampa Bay 45 … with only seven seconds left.
Rex Ryan mentioned the Bucs’ deep coverage and said: “Presence of mind … smart play.”
Which is when Lavonte David made a bonehead play for the ages, sending Smith sprawling on his sideline for the 15-yard penalty that set up Nick Folk’s 48-yard game-winner with two seconds left.
“I’m never going to panic. It’s a game, it’s something that I’ve been playing my entire life, I’ve been in that situation plenty of times,” Smith said.
On the field-goal drive that put the Jets up 15-14, Smith was 5-for-7 for 51 yards. His most impressive moment came when he rolled right, found Adrian Claiborne barreling in on him, and quickly got the ball out to Bilal Powell for 14 yards to the Tampa 20.
“I never think about the hit,” Smith said. “I never look at the rush. I’m out there playing football. The game never changes for me.”
Earlier, Smith had made the kind of mistake that a team dependent upon its defense cannot afford to make. Under pressure, Mason Foster dislodged the ball with a blindside hit from behind, and Akeem Spence recovered at the Jets’ 5, and Doug Martin made it Bucs 14, Jets 5.
Then a ball over the middle sailed on him, and David was waiting for it.
“Completely my fault,” Smith said. “I had the checkdown, and put the ball a little too high.”
He had set up his first touchdown pass — a 7-yarder to Winslow — with an 18-yard strike to Winslow with 34 seconds left in the second quarter that revealed improvisational telepathy between the two.
“The game wasn’t too big for him,” Winslow said. “His poise was awesome, and we weren’t surprised by it.”
Smith didn’t seem inclined to go shoot a panty hose commercial or swig some Johnnie Walker Red along Broadway.
“My emotions never change,” he said.
C’mon, kid, live it up.
“It’s not about me,” Smith said.
Oh yes it is.