Bill Polian knows a couple of things when it comes to franchise quarterbacks.
The former NFL general manager drafted and watched one, Peyton Manning, lead the Colts franchise for 13 seasons, including a win in Super Bowl XLI . He also witnessed another, Tom Brady, do everything in his power to have the Patriots stand in the Colts’ way of their title goals.
Though Polian cautions six games is far too small a sample to put any franchise label on Geno Smith, let alone put him in Manning-Brady territory, he has been impressed with what he has seen from the Jets rookie quarterback this season.
“The arrow has been up since Foxborough,” said Polian, an analyst for Sirius/XM and ESPN, of Smith’s three-interception performance in a 13-10 Week 2 loss to the Patriots.
“He had two difficult throws against the Steelers on Sunday, but that’s to be expected with young quarterbacks. The red zone is the hardest place for them because things get a little bit more congested, a little harder to see and make the right decision and make the right throw down there. But, to me, he’s improved week after week and for a rookie quarterback or a young quarterback that’s all you want.”
Smith and the 3-3 Jets get another shot at Brady and the 5-1 Patriots when they come to MetLife Stadium on Sunday. The Jets hope to get a performance from Smith similar to the one he produced in the upset of the Falcons, when he threw for three touchdowns and no interceptions.
“The thing that’s most impressive about him is that he’s very even-keeled. Bad throw, shrug it off, move on to the next one,” said Polian, who called the Jets’ loss to the Steelers for ESPN Radio. “So, all the signs are positive. They are all going to make rookie mistakes. They all do.”
Though questions remain about Smith, Brady has the Patriots in their usual spot atop the AFC East. Under Polian, the Colts were thwarted twice by New England in the playoffs. While Rex Ryan’s greatest moment as Jets coach came in a win over the Patriots in a divisional-round playoff game in 2011, he has been unable to end the Patriots’ AFC East dominance.
The Patriots have won the division nine of the past 10 years, only coming up short in 2008 when Brady missed the final 15 games with a torn ACL. If the Jets want to have any shot of ending that run this year, they likely will need to pull off the upset on Sunday.
“He’s amazingly accurate. He’s been a quick read ever since he was first in the league,” Polian said of Brady. “He now knows and has seen everything there is in terms of what defenses can do to him. That makes him awfully dangerous because he instantly knows what guy to go to and that cuts down reaction time the defense has.
“His leadership and toughness is off the charts, and he’s the guy they all look to when the chips are down, and more often than not he comes through.”