ATLANTA — Hall of Famer Steve Young has some advice for Jets rookie quarterback Geno Smith — start running.
Young was known for his mobility as a quarterback, and he thinks the Jets need to take advantage of Smith’s running ability.
“I tended to make [plays] with my feet before my arm because that was the safer route,” Young, now an ESPN analyst, told The Post before Monday night’s game between the Jets and Falcons. “If I could tell Geno anything, I’d tell him and [offensive coordinator] Marty [Mornhinweg] the same thing, get his feet going with some stuff he’s comfortable with and can do. You need a threat. You want to threaten defenses without taking huge risks. By using your legs, you threaten defenses without taking a huge risk. I would expand on that.”
Young played for Morninhweg with the 49ers, and said the problem for the Jets offensive coaching staff is figuring out how much they can rely on Smith.
“Marty’s a good enough coach that he could take anybody. That’s not a problem,” Young said. “The dilemma that Marty is in is he needs to develop a young player, which you could see Geno has a lot of the underlying things that you want, but you have to develop them.
“This is a team that [Smith starting] wasn’t part of the preseason forecast. He’s got to get him going much quicker than people thought. That’s a tough spot to be in. Do you look for the long-term health of the quarterback — not just the physical health but just long-term viability and making sure he’s successful — or do you look at the short term: ‘I have to press on him no matter what happens because people’s jobs are on the line.’ That’s a tough dilemma.”
Young was asked whether the Jets should revert back to the system they used in 2009 when Mark Sanchez was a rookie and they relied on a great running game and strong defense, only asking Sanchez not to mess it up.
“They didn’t hire Marty to come in and teach a guy to manage a football game. That’s what’s hard,” Young said. “They hired him to come in and expand on what the Jets have done in the last five years. I think he’s going to try to do that.”
As challenging as the situation is, Young said the Jets have the right guy in Mornhinweg to figure it out.
“Certainly, Marty is up to the task,” Young said. “You saw that first game [against the Bucs] the transition in the second half, ‘How can I put this guy in the position to win?’ Marty is as good as anyone at doing that.”
As for Smith, Young said he sees a lot of raw tools in Smith, but thinks he needs time to develop.
“He’s got all the pieces that you’d want in a young player,” Young said. “Last year’s crop [of rookie quarterbacks] has really skewed the expectations. It’s not fair because I think those were some rare people. Geno’s going to develop, but there’s going to be fits and starts. Geno doesn’t have a lot of top-line help, too. It’s not like they’re loaded. That just makes that whole dilemma a little more pronounced.”