In a twisted way, with his strong performance in Sunday’s 24-13 Jets win over the Browns at MetLife Stadium, Geno Smith might have complicated matters for Jets management as it looks beyond this season.
He has had enough bad moments in his rookie year to make management question whether he should be its quarterback of the now and future. But his generally spotless performance Sunday — 20-of-36 for 214 yards, two TDs, no INTs and a 91.7 rating — surely has to make silent general manager John Idzik pause.
Smith’s most inaccurate throw of the day might have been the celebratory heave he sent when he whipped the game ball into the stands after the win was in the books.
“A tremendous performance,’’ Rex Ryan said. “I was really impressed with him.’’
Smith threw two 5-yard touchdown passes to receiver David Nelson — the first with 1:18 remaining in the second quarter to cut the Cleveland lead to 10-7 and the second in the fourth quarter to give the Jets a 17-10 lead they would not relinquish. He also ran for 48 yards, including a 17-yard score to seal the win.
“This was big for his confidence — for the next game and next season,’’ receiver Jeremy Kerley said. “The biggest thing with him is consistency. He’s building that. The biggest thing we’re trying to build on this team is consistency, and it starts with the quarterback.’’
Veteran tight end Kellen Winslow said, “He is making progress, and for a rookie it just takes time. He has all the tools. It takes a little getting beat up, like, ‘Oh, this is the NFL now, OK.’ And you progress from that. He’s going to be fine. You saw that today.’’
Veteran guard Willie Colon: “He has composure and he’s strong-minded.’’
Veteran linebacker Calvin Pace: “He has the tools. He just has to play with confidence. It takes time. This time last year he was in bowl practices. It’s a process. He just needs to build on the wins and the good, just finish the season strong and take it into next year.’’
This was clearly one of the tidiest games Smith has played this season, a game he entered with 21 interceptions and four lost fumbles. The Jets did not turn the ball over at all Sunday.
“I’ve been growing,’’ Smith said. “I felt pretty comfortable back there in the pocket. The offensive line did a great job of keeping guys off me. I was able to step up all day long, had great throwing lanes. It was good to come out of the game with no sacks and no turnovers.’’
Most impressive about Smith was, despite the Jets trailing 10-0 early and their offense sputtering, he did not force matters, staying the course and eventually making some big plays.
“When we got down 10, the sense of urgency kicked in,’’ Smith said.