Geno Smith was on the other side of the coaching Saturday.
The Jets second-year quarterback conducted his ProCamps football camp in Scotch Plains, NJ, on Saturday afternoon. Instead of getting instruction from the Jets coaches, Smith was the one doing the instructing to more than 300 kids in grades 1-8.
For Smith, it was a break from his routine with the Jets. They just completed OTAs and now have their three-day minicamp this week, with training camp beginning at the end of July. Smith feels like he has improved greatly since last year when he was trying to find his way as a rookie.
“There’s no comparison,” Smith said. “Last year I was a rookie. I was learning. I’m still learning, but I was learning the offense. I know the offense. Now, it’s about perfecting it. There’s really no comparison. It’s completely night and day.”
The Jets hope so. It has become clear Smith will be the team’s starting quarterback entering training camp and it will take a lot for him to lose the job. The Jets brought in Michael Vick this offseason, but it was to serve as Smith’s backup, providing some insurance if Smith stumbles.
If you listen to Smith talk, he is confident he is past the problems that ailed him last year (25 turnovers being the biggest). He also likes what he sees from the new-look Jets offense that has brought in free agent wide receiver Eric Decker and running back Chris Johnson and drafted tight end Jace Amaro.
Could they be one of the top offenses in the NFL?
“That’s our goal,” Smith said. “We have that goal. We have high expectations for one another. We always set high expectations. Ultimately, it’s about the production on the field. When we get on the field against an opposing defense, then we’ll see. But our goals are set high.”
Smith said he and his receivers have been building chemistry during OTAs, something that was tough for him to do as a rookie.
“I tried last year but I was just so engulfed in trying to learn the playbook and getting my steps down and all the little things, that it’s kind of difficult to develop that exact chemistry that we want,” he said.
“I can see it this year. It’s night and day because I can coach guys up on where I need them to be. … That’s what quarterbacking is. It’s about being the coach on the field. That’s the position we’re in right now. We’re still building. We’re still developing that chemistry, but as of right now, we’re levels ahead of where we were at this time last year.”
Smith will conduct another football camp in a few weeks in his hometown of Miami. Just a few years removed from being a kid himself, Smith seemed to genuinely enjoy working with the kids.
“It’s very fulfilling to come out here and be able to talk to the kids, see all the great parents, see the way these kids interact with one another,” Smith said. “It’s about them, not me. Really [I’m] just giving back to the community. They always see us with the helmets on, so to take the helmet off and interact with them is kind of what it’s all about for me.”