CORTLAND — Apparently, Geno Smith is getting too “fancy” for his own good, something the Jets quarterback will have to monitor or incur the wrath of offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.
A day after the worst offensive showing of training camp, Mornhinweg blamed Smith in part for the unit’s turnover-plagued showing against the Jets defense, saying the quarterback’s comfort level with the offense is giving him a false sense of security.
“He’s to the point where on occasion, he’s double looking off [defenders] and these kinds of fancy things and we just got a little too fancy [Wednesday],” Mornhinweg said Thursday. “It’s just that simple. We were just trying to do too much and too fancy.”
Hmmm.
“Fancy” would not have been the word most would have used to describe Smith’s performance Wednesday, when the entire offense was mistake-prone no matter who was under center. Smith and Michael Vick each threw an interception, while rookie Tajh Boyd was picked off three times. Interceptions, dropped passes, fumbles, missed assignments and penalties created what head coach Rex Ryan called a “feeding frenzy” for the defense.
Wednesday’s practice was the one “sub-par” day Smith has had in camp, Mornhinweg said.
“The whole offensive football team was sub-par on that particular day,” he said.
Thursday offered a day for redemption. The offense rebounded by winning a few battles during the goal-line drills and generally not making the same mistakes that were made Wednesday.
“I liked the way we competed,” said Smith, who continues to take the bulk of the reps with the first team while Vick remains content as the backup. “We battled hard and we got better. Guys were getting low and hitting. We’ll go back to the film, and figure out what we need to get better at and move on from there.”
The goal-line plays didn’t offer much time for “fancy” footwork, though Mornhinweg likely whispered in Smith’s ear to keep things simple. Otherwise, Mornhinweg seems happy with the progress Smith has shown in his second training camp. His footwork along with his ability to recognize defenses and find receivers has continued to build on the baby steps of a year ago. But Mornhinweg doesn’t want Smith to stray from the basics.
“We’ve got to keep it simple in our mind,” Mornhinweg said. “He’s at the level right now … his eyes and feet … he’s really progressed that way. I thought he did a heck of a job down the stretch last year. The ball security thing, I think you have to give him some credit there. He got that thing fixed. We’ll see if it stays fixed.”
For whatever reason, the Jets aren’t ready to officially name Smith the starting quarterback for the first preseason game Thursday against the Colts, much less the season opener. In one breath, Mornhinweg says he wants all four quarterbacks to compete with each other. In the next breath, it’s easy to figure out the depth chart currently stands with Smith starting, Vick as the backup and Matt Simms as the third quarterback. The rookie Boyd is a bit overwhelmed.
“We’ll see. We’re not even concerned about that,” Mornhinweg said. “It hasn’t been discussed.”
Any notion this is a true quarterback competition between Smith and Vick is folly, considering Smith is getting the preponderance of reps with the first team. But the Jets remain enamored with Vick’s experience and dynamic skills.
“Mike is all in,” Mornhinweg said. “He’s here to push Geno, to compete with Geno and make Geno the best quarterback he can be. And he’s got to be ready when called upon to play at that high level. Mike’s got the awe factor.”
The Jets hope Smith has an awe factor, too, as long as it’s not too fancy.