The New York Jets are 2-11 and Geno Smith has been benched multiple times, but the former West Virginia star doesn’t think his play has been all bad. In fact, Smith believes he has had moments this season that are similar to the ones enjoyed by the Peyton Mannings, Tom Bradys, Aaron Rodgers’, Drew Brees’ and Andrew Lucks of the world.
Smith, who is doing his best to remain optimistic, recently told Mark Herrmann of Newsday that he has shown the potential to be a Pro Bowler.
“I’ve shown flashes of being a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback, but what we’re looking for here is consistency,” Smith said. “The best teams have consistent quarterback play and I realize that and that’s truly what I want to show to the fans and everyone outside the building.”
Was Geno’s first pass attempt against the Minnesota Vikings one of those flashes? Nah, probably not.
If Smith’s point is that he has thrown some touchdown passes this season and completed some passes like other Pro Bowl quarterbacks do, then, yes, he has shown flashes of being a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback. In fact, every starter in the NFL has based on those standards.
“I just trust in my faith, trust in my support system; my teammates, my coaches, my family members and just believing in [myself],” Smith said. “I have the utmost amount of confidence in myself and my teammates and I truly believe that we’re going to be successful.
“It’s almost exciting to think about all the room for improvement that we have. But at the same time, we’ve got to really hone in on the ‘right now.'”
Remember, we’re talking about the same guy who wasn’t even introduced with the Jets starters two weeks ago because the team was afraid he might get booed.
We respect Smith for not feeling sorry for himself, but it’s unlikely that his name and “Pro Bowl” will ever be mentioned in the same sentence again.
