Geno Smith can be thankful Thursday he’s still the starting quarterback for the Jets.
Coach Rex Ryan announced Monday Smith will start Sunday against the Dolphins despite Smith’s poor play in back-to-back losses the past two weeks and the drop-off in his performance over the past six games.
“Right now I would feel that he gives us the best chance to win,” Ryan said.
According to a source, the Jets had no serious discussions about benching Smith in favor of Matt Simms.
Ryan danced around most of the questions thrown his way during his Monday news conference. When asked if general manager John Idzik would have to sign off on any decision he made about the quarterback, Ryan said he would consult with a number of people, not mentioning Idzik.
“If it would be a big decision on those things, whether it’s at corner or quarterback, it’s not just I’m going to say this guy is going to play or whatever that’s it because I’m the head coach,” Ryan said.
Smith’s teammates supported the rookie Monday, saying all the right things despite knowing they can’t win if he plays as he did in Sunday’s 19-3 loss to the Ravens. Smith completed 9-of-22 for 127 yards and threw two interceptions. His 22.3 passer rating was actually an upgrade from last week’s 10.1 against the Bills.
“I didn’t do enough, didn’t get the job done,” Smith said. “We didn’t score a touchdown, so that’s never good. Just didn’t do enough. We’ve got to figure out ways to just get better and to put points on the board. It’s pretty simple.”
It hasn’t looked simple for Smith, though. He has not thrown a touchdown pass since the first quarter of the Oct. 20 game against the Patriots. Since his best performance of the season against the Falcons on Oct. 7, he has thrown one touchdown and 10 interceptions. His 18 interceptions are the most in the NFL.
Ryan insists it’s not all Smith’s fault. He blames the offensive line and the wide receivers. It’s surprising Ryan doesn’t blame the team’s equipment manager for Smith’s helmet being too tight. He seems to blame everyone but Smith.
“The stats are out there for the public awareness, but it doesn’t paint the whole picture,” Ryan said. “It’s certainly not on one guy. When you look at the numbers [it may look like] boy, that guy really struggled. But there’s a reason. Some of it is protection. Some of it is dropping footballs. Some of it is a poor throw. Some of it is running not a precise route. There’s a lot of factors involved in it.”
Ryan, sounding just as he did when he supported a struggling Mark Sanchez, said he still believes in Smith.
“I see it on the practice field,” he said. “At times, Geno’s done a nice job here. I think the team has confidence in him and I have confidence in him.”
Smith was sacked three times by the Ravens. The Jets have surrendered 38 sacks this season and are the worst in the league in sacks per pass play.
“Geno is more than capable,” guard Willie Colon said. “I have a lot of faith in him, but up front we’ve got to help him out and we’re not. That’s the disappointing part right now.”
It’s no secret how teams are now attacking the Jets. They are loading up to stop the run and then blitzing Smith. Until the Jets can prove they can throw it deep and throw it effectively, teams will continue to concentrate on stopping the run.
“Teams are stacking the box against us,” Colon said. “We’ve kind of become a one-trick pony right now. It is what it is.”
Ryan went out of his way to protect Smith, repeatedly saying it’s not all his fault.
“I don’t see it about the one man,” Ryan said. “It’s not about the one individual.”