With the stroke of a pen, quarterback Geno Smith found himself relegated to second string behind Ryan Fitzpatrick on the New York Jets depth chart. Not surprisingly, he’s not exactly happy about the development.
“I’m not disappointed. I’m kind of pissed off, but it’s not a detrimental thing,” he said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “It’s not something where I’m pissed off at anyone, because we all want to be in there. … This just adds fuel to the fire, but not in a negative way.
Smith did say he didn’t want his frustrations at losing the starting job to become a distraction.
“I don’t want to be a headline because it’s not what I’m trying to say,” Smith added. “It’s more as a competitor, as a quarterback, knowing what I’m capable of and really believing in myself, knowing the work I put in. You want to be out there, but you have to play with the cards you’re dealt.”
The Jets hyped Smith’s development all offseason during Fitzpatrick’s standoff. Recently, head coach Todd Bowles talked up his young backup and said he could be a “good starter” in the NFL.
As soon as Fitzpatrick returned to the fold on a one-year deal, Smith was immediately knocked down to second fiddle. We already knew he was feeling salty about Fitzpatrick when he got upset about a reporter asking him about the bearded quarterback earlier this spring (more on that here).
Now you have to imagine he’s fuming on the inside.
The big positive, of course, is that while Smith is upset, he’s clearly found some much-needed maturity. He sees his opportunity to not only impress the Jets when he gets his chances but to also impress the rest of the league.
“It’s no disrespect to anyone, but I’m auditioning for this team and 31 other teams in the NFL,” Smith said Thursday. “The way you handle all of this says a lot about your character. I’ve got little kids back home [in South Florida] seeing how I react. Everyone will watch to see how I react. I’m not going to allow this situation — because it’s not the worst situation I’ve been in — to deter me from my ultimate goal.”
This now marks the second summer in a row that Smith has had the starting job ripped away from him due to circumstances out of his control. He originally lost the job when IK Enemkpali busted his jaw.
Now, after running with the first team all offseason and feeling good about his chances to finally start again, he’s experiencing a similar gut punch. But he is handling things with poise, even while dealing with complex emotions.
This can only mean good things for his future. If he is called into duty this year for the Jets, it can also mean good things for how his teammates view him as a potential leader.