New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith, who was benched following a disastrous performance in the first half of Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers, has reportedly missed multiple team meetings in recent days.
Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News reported early Monday morning that the second-year quarterback was a no-show for multiple meetings on Saturday, the day before New York’s 31-0 loss to San Diego.
Smith missed team meetings on Saturday, according to a source familiar with the situation. It’s not known whether Smith received special permission not to attend, but team members were not pleased by his actions.
The conclusion we can draw from Mehta’s report is that Smith was not benched in favor of Michael Vick because of these missed meetings. Instead, it had to do with his performance on the field.
Smith finished Sunday’s game just 4-of-12 passing for 27 yards with an interception.
It surely would help the Jets if their starting quarterback actually showed up for every meeting that he’s scheduled to be in. Regardless of the reason why Smith missed these meetings, it’s just not a good look. And based on the NY Daily News report, teammates were not happy with Smith’s absence.
The second-year quarterback is slated to get that start for a Jets team that has lost four in a row next week against the Denver Broncos. Maybe he should make sure to show some more commitment between now and then.
Photo: USA Today