NFL

Geno looks to eliminate mistakes vs. Bills

Geno Smith had a rough day on Friday. The Jets rookie quarterback kept going over what he could have done differently in the team’s 13-10 loss to the Patriots the night before.

Smith threw three fourth-quarter interceptions that he relived all day Friday.

“I was still just kind of thinking about the things I could’ve done, but that’s the game,” Smith said Monday. “You’ve got move on from it. I watched tape, sometimes in bitterness. [I’m] kind of mad at myself for some of the plays that I know I can easily make [and] some of the decisions that I made that ultimately cost us the game. [It’s a] learning experience. You move on from it and get better next week.”

Next week is now here and Smith faces fellow rookie quarterback EJ Manuel and the Bills this week. Former Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine is now in the same role for the Bills. In the first two games of the season, Pettine has had the Bills blitzing from the minute they set foot on the field. Against the rookie Smith, you would expect him to continue to do that.

“[They] like to attack the quarterback,” Smith said. “They’ll try and confuse me and send some looks I probably haven’t seen before. But for the most part, watching them on tape, they do mix it up. Multiple fronts. Multiple blitzes. It’s going to take some extra preparation. I’ve got to be able to see it out there on the field, see everything clearly. I’ve been watching a ton of tape. I’ll be here all night and tomorrow watching tape. So, I’ll be prepared for it.”

Smith took a step back against the Patriots after a solid first game of the year. He finished with a quarterback rating of 27.6. Smith was not helped by his wide receivers, who dropped at least six passes in the game. But he played well enough through three quarters to give the Jets a chance to win. Then, he chucked the three interceptions and the game was decided.

“We played a clean game for about three-and-a-half quarters,” Smith said. “[The] last 12 plays of the game, in my opinion, were fairly sloppy. I think I tried to force things. [It] didn’t work out for us, but we’ve moved on from it and now it’s time to focus on Buffalo.”

With Mark Sanchez now sidelined for at least eight weeks, it would seem the Jets are committed to Smith for the foreseeable future, but they will not concede that. Coach Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik have said it will be a week-to-week evaluation.

“It’s about the moment,” Ryan said. “It’s not about anything else. It’s about the present and the team that we’re up against. There’s no need to look past this opponent.”

Smith acknowledged it would be nice to be told he was going to start beyond this week, but does not sound too worried about it.

“I mean of course you would [like it], but, I mean, in this situation you’ve got to play the cards that you’re dealt,” he said. “In my own personal time here, I think I’ve been treated fairly well and I think I’ve been given a great chance, a great opportunity. I’ve got an opportunity this week once again to prove myself and that’s what [I’ll] go out there and try to do.”

Last week, Sanchez told the NFL Network he had clearly beaten Smith in the competition to be the starter before he injured his right shoulder, a clear slight toward Smith.

“Those are his comments and that’s his opinion,” Smith said. “That’s all there is to it.”

Asked if he disagrees, Smith said: “I have no comment to that.”

For now, Smith is worried about the Bills and eliminating the mistakes that killed him against the Patriots.

“You can’t have those turnovers and regardless of whose fault it is, it can’t happen,” Smith said. “The way to avoid it is to emphasize it in practice [and] to stick to your fundamentals when you’re out there on the field. Just go out there and play aggressive, but at the same time be mindful of the situation.”