Geno Smith has led the Jets to four comeback victories in the fourth quarter or overtime in his first nine games. Still, the Jets want Smith to be better in late-game situations, and the rookie quarterback knows he has to improve if the team plans to go anywhere this season.
“I’ve basically learned my lesson the hard way,” Smith said Monday. “You can’t put things on your shoulders, you can’t try to and be a hero, you can’t make plays on your own. You just have to stick to the game plan and let the game play out. That’s something that I think in the last game [against the Saints], that I did a better job of not forcing the ball. We needed some first downs but it wasn’t there. I just didn’t force the ball.
“[We] put the game in the hands of our defense. We have a really good defense here, a defense that can win us games. They’ve done it in the past and I think they’ll continue to do so. It starts with me being smart with the football.”
Last week, quarterbacks coach David Lee said Smith will “leave the game plan” in some late game situations when the Jets are trailing. Smith said Lee cautions him “not to get off the reservation,” something he’s working on.
Five of Smith’s 13 interceptions have come in the fourth quarter. He had three against the Patriots earlier this season and threw one against the Bengals’ Adam “Pacman” Jones that was returned for a touchdown. Smith has thrown some passes he should not have based on how the cornerback is playing the receiver. Smith said he’s naturally aggressive and does not want to lose that. Still, he knows he can’t turn the ball over.
“There were times where I felt that I could fit the ball into some really tight windows,” Smith said. “I’m an aggressive player — that’s something that [the coaches] never want to take away from [me] and something that I never want to shy away from doing. But it just comes with experience in this league, knowing when to be aggressive, knowing when to try and fit the ball in that window and knowing when to back off and just live to see another play.”
Smith went home to Florida during the bye week and said he studied some tape on the plane ride and spent some time with his playbook at home.
The Jets are counting on Smith to keep improving as they make a playoff push over the final seven weeks of the season. At 5-4, they’re in the thick of the wild card-race and still have an outside shot at the division title if the Patriots stumble. But they can’t survive if Smith continues to be inconsistent. He has had some good moments this season and some awful ones. The 13 interceptions have been the biggest problem.
“Every single one of them crushes me,” Smith said. “It hurts me because I hate throwing interceptions. I hate having turnovers. I hate affecting my team in a negative light. So every single one hurts me, but like I’ve always said, I just put those things into perspective and I look at it in the right way, use it as motivation and use it as something to learn from. I don’t let it get me down or put me in a bad mood. Instead, I just work harder and try to correct it.”
In the 26-20 victory over the Saints before the bye, the Jets asked Smith to do very little. They relied on their running game and defense to carry them. Coach Rex Ryan said he just wants Smith to understand he doesn’t have to win games by himself.
He was asked what he’d like to see from Smith down the stretch.
“I just think, go about your business,” Ryan said. “You’ve got great coaches, work with them. Work on your fundamentals, the timing. Those are things that are going to come and don’t press it. Just go out and play the position and you’ll be fine. Understand you’re one of 11. You don’t need to do it all by yourself. That being said, he has tools where he can make a difference in a positive way.”