Geno Smith lost the Snoopy Bowl, but he won the Jets’ starting quarterback job.
After the Jets’ 35-24 preseason loss to the Giants on Friday night, coach Rex Ryan made it official — Smith will start the season opener against the Raiders on Sept. 7.
It did not come as a surprise, as Smith has been the expected starter all offseason, but Ryan had refused to say Smith would be the starter — and Michael Vick the backup — until Friday night.
“He’s done everything that we’ve asked and, again, this is no slight to Mike Vick,” Ryan said. “Believe me, like I said, I wanted to come out of this knowing we had two really good quarterbacks that we think we can win games with. In my heart, I feel that we have two that we can with.”
Smith has shown major growth this preseason, and that was apparent against the Giants.
A year ago, Smith had one of his worst moments in the annual preseason meeting with the Snoopy Trophy on the line, when he threw three interceptions and stepped out of the back of the end zone for a safety. This time around, Smith was poised and decisive. He completed 9-of-14 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown in one half of work. He finished with a quarterback rating of 120.2.
Smith said Ryan never actually told him he would be the starting quarterback against the Raiders. He found out when reporters told him Ryan had made it official.
“Did I have any doubt? I wouldn’t let doubt creep into my mind,” Smith said. “I always come in with the mindset that if I do what I have to do I can be the starting quarterback and lead this team.”
Smith’s starting job was never a question this preseason. Even though the Jets brought Vick in this winter, there was never any doubt who the team’s starting quarterback would be. Smith showed he deserved the Jets’ faith with his play against the Giants.
“I knew the entire time Geno was going to be the starter,” Vick said.
The Jets hope Smith can continue the progress he showed at the end of his rookie season when the Jets won three of their final four games.
“I was really happy with him,” Ryan said. “I think he’s taken off from where he left off. I expect great things in the future from him.”
The entire first-team offense looked strong for the Jets as they rolled up 222 yards in the first half. Vick played two series with the starting offense in the second half, and about the only knock offensively was a few killer penalties that put them in long down-and-distance situations.
The Jets not only moved the ball through the air, but also ran the ball well. The duo of Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory rushed for 92 yards combined on 15 carries, and the Jets averaged 5.3 yards per carry in the first half.
Smith connected with new wide receiver Eric Decker on a 27-yard strike on the team’s second drive that led to a 31-yard field goal from Nick Folk.
The Jets opened the second quarter with a seven-play, 66-yard drive. Johnson and Ivory showed what a nice complementary pair of backs they can be with Johnson slashing through the Giants defense and Ivory running over them.
Two Giants penalties put the ball on the 1-yard line and Smith found rookie tight end Jace Amaro for a short touchdown pass.
Besides throwing well, Smith also continued to show he has developed as a runner, rushing three times for 17 yards.
The Jets defense looked fast and was flying to the ball. They consistently pressured Giants quarterback Eli Manning and gave up just 93 yards in the first half before the Giants mounted a 91-yard touchdown drive just before halftime.
The no-name secondary was not terrible. Darrin Walls and Antonio Allen started at cornerback, but Allen was injured early in the second quarter after he collided with teammate Demario Davis. Allen left with what later was termed to be a concussion head injury and did not return.
LeQuan Lewis played in Allen’s place and Manning worked against him for the Giants’ touchdown at the end of the half, hitting Rueben Randle for a 15-yard touchdown that cut the Jets lead to 10-7.
Vick saw time with the first-team offense for two series in the second half. He botched a handoff to Johnson on his first series, a fumble the Giants recovered that led to a touchdown. But Vick looked better on the next drive, hitting Decker for a 2-yard touchdown pass that put the Jets back up 17-14. Vick finished 4-of-5 for 35 yards and the score.