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Rex Ryan did a media tour today and here is some of what he had to say.
“I like our quarterback situation much better than I did the first year I was here,” Ryan said on MSNBC. “Obviously, he’s had his ups and downs, but there’s a lot of positive things about what Mark’s accomplished, won four road playoff games. But this Geno Smith is really a talented young man.”
First of all, this is a slap in the face to Kellen Clemens.
Remember, in the summer of 2009, Clemens and Sanchez “competed” for the starting quarterback job. Sanchez won, even though he wasn’t very good that summer. This might have been a self-fulfilling prophecy for the Jets – it seemed like that wanted Sanchez to win the job, and willed it to happen.
But remember, at the time, Clemens, was entering his fourth season in the league, and his fourth year in coordinator Brian Schottenheimer’s offense. He knew the system like the back of his hand.
Clemens might be a middle-of-the-road quarterback, but he was much further along that summer, then Geno will be this summer.
While Clemens was totally comfortable with the offense that summer, more so that Sanchez at the time, Smith has so much to learn.
And yes, Geno Smith is “a very talented young man,” with a big arm and good speed, but we all know there is so much to the position than that – ask Vince Young, Akili Smith, David Carr, Kyle Boller – I could go on forever with rocket-armed guys, with great speed, who didn’t pan on the next level because the position is so much more involved than that.
Much of playing QB in the NFL mental, and Geno needs so much work (like most young guys) in reading defenses, pre-snap reads, pocket presence and so forth.
So for Rex to say that he’s more comfortable this year, than in 2009, is bizarre.
Maybe he could make the argument Sanchez is further along than he was as a rookie in 2009, but he’s moved backwards the last couple of years, and lost a lot of confidence. It remains to be seen if he can get it back.
While I do think Sanchez can play better than he did last year, honestly, if I were the coach of the Jets, I wouldn’t be that comfortable with the quarterback situation.
I think what Rex does all the time is he thinks if he praises players publicly, perhaps embellishes their ability, they play better, because the coach has so much confidence in them.
I just don’t think you can will people to be a lot better than they are.
And then later in the day he was on with Adam Schein on SiriusXM, and doubled-down on this theory.
“And it’s funny because I’ve heard so many comments about the quarterbacks,” Ryan. “We are in a lot better shape at quarterback than I was my first year here in ’09. It’s not even close.”
Not even close?
I’m sorry, I’m just not buying this, and honestly, maybe Rex would have been great at a carnival back in the day, selling some kind of elixir of life, but so often the stuff he’s peddling these days, it’s hard to buy.
This is a perfect example.
Look – the Jets QB situation could turn out to be fine this year, but right now, if you are a Jets fan, you have to be darn nervous, with Sanchez, coming off two bad seasons, battling Geno Smith, who lost five games in a row as a senior, and played in a gimmick college offense that doesn’t translate to the NFL.
And if I’m Clemens, now the backup with the St. Louis Rams, I’d say to Rex, “What are you drinking, man?
Clemens, also a second round pick like Geno, was much further along than Smith is right now, and Rex claims the comparison isn’t even close?
C’mon man.
July 19, 2013
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