Jets fans may have seen enough from Geno Smith, but general manager John Idzik and coach Rex Ryan want to see more.
Ryan announced Monday he is sticking with the struggling rookie quarterback as his starter this week when the Jets face the Raiders at MetLife Stadium. The decision comes a day after Ryan benched Smith at halftime in the team’s 23-3 loss to the Dolphins and inserted Matt Simms.
“I believe in Geno,” Ryan said. “I think he has the tools to be a good quarterback in this league. I believe that. Obviously, he’s going through some rough times. These last three games in particular have not been good for him and, quite honestly, for a lot of us it hasn’t been good.”
Smith has been awful for the last month and mediocre for the last two months. The second-round draft pick has one touchdown and 11 interceptions in his last seven games. He has not thrown a touchdown pass since Oct. 20, a drought of 21 quarters. Against the Dolphins, he went 4-for-10 for 29 yards with an interception before Ryan gave him the hook.
“I’ve got to get my act together pretty fast,” Smith said. “I think if I do that it can help our offense out a lot.”
The Jets season has gone down the toilet with Smith. They were 5-4 and coming off a huge win over the Saints a month ago. Their postseason fate was in their hands and it did not seem unrealistic to talk about them securing a playoff spot. Now, they are 5-7 and mathematically still alive for the playoffs, but they are a bigger long shot than Buster Douglas.
Despite all the struggles, Smith said he remains confident.
“It’s hard for people to believe that with the tough stretch that we’ve had,” said Smith, who has 19 interceptions and 23 total turnovers this season. “That’s just the confidence I have in myself. I know for a fact that my teammates and coaches have that same confidence in me. That’s why I believe that.”
The Jets decision-makers — Ryan, Idzik and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg — decided to stick with Smith instead of making the switch to Simms. Some of that may be because they want to further evaluate Smith to see if he is a long-term answer at quarterback. Some of it may be because they don’t have any good options right now with an unproven Simms, who did not shine in his time Sunday, or the veteran David Garrard, who has not played in three years.
Ryan initially said he decided to start Smith after re-watching Sunday’s game, but then later admitted neither Smith or Simms made a strong case in that game.
“If we’re just looking at that tape, the option doesn’t look very good for either guy if you’re just looking at how they played in that game,” he said.
Simms admitted he was hoping to get the call, but said he will support Smith.
“Hey, we’re competitors, everyone wants to go out there and compete,” Simms said. “Obviously, when you get out there on the field and you get a little taste of the real action, all you want is you want more of it. But nonetheless, Geno’s the man and I’m going to support him and prepare like I have been. If my number’s called again then I’ll go out there and play as hard I can again.”
The Jets now have to hope benching Smith will jar him back into playing the way he did in several games early this season.
“If it was a tactic to wake me up or get me going, then it definitely worked,” Smith said. “Right now, I definitely feel a sense of urgency. I’ve got to go out there and play hard and get the job done.”