The Jets’ offense had been plodding since the loss of Leon Washington, occasionally effective but rarely explosive. Plodding, that is, until they discovered a secret weapon they seemingly had forgotten about: Brad Smith, the quarterback in the Wildcat formation.
Gang Green rushed for 257 yards and four touchdowns in Sunday playoff-clinching 37-0 rout of Cincinnati, and it was Smith — not Thomas Jones or Shonn Greene — who led the way. He had four carries for 92 yards and a score, and it was his 57-yard scamper on third-and-7 that set up the Jets’ first score, and set the tone.
“It’s huge,” said right guard Brandon Moore, who opened the hole for that run. “He’s an explosive player. We missed that, those big plays when Leon went down. We were relying a lot on TJ and Shonn just to pound it in there and maybe break one late. We’ve got him able to score huge plays, make big plays for us, it’s huge.
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“He was down on the depth chart a bit in the beginning . . . and now he’s really coming on strong. He just put his head down and went to work and I’m really happy for him.”
Lack of opportunities slowed Smith for his first three seasons, and a quad injury slowed him earlier this year. But now he has become a factor, with his 106-yard kickoff return against Indianapolis the biggest play of the year; and the Wildcat (or Tiger, an appropriate name considering it’s run by a former Missouri star) has become a staple.
“The guys up front have really committed to it and have really taken the time to try and perfect it. The hard work’s starting to pay off,” said Smith, who took a direct shotgun snap on his long run, then was under center for a 32-yard TD. “There’s still a lot more yards and points out there for us.”
Especially in the passing game. At Missouri, Smith was the first Division I player to pass for 8,000 yards and run for 4,000, and knows if the Jets let him throw the ball it’ll open things up even more.
“What he accomplished on the collegiate level, he was Tim Tebow before any of them,” coach Rex Ryan said. “The guy’s a phenomenal athlete and now we’re taking advantage of him.”