Quarterback Geno Smith may have been handed the keys to a Porsche, but fortunately for the New York Jets, he's already had practice with a couple of used cars.
NewYorkJets.com is reporting that former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski believes Smith still could be the right man for the job on Broadway, noting the quarterback's improvement from year one to year two.
"I think Geno, when I've looked at him now for a couple of years in the NFL, I see a quarterback that's getting better," Jaworski said. "He's forgotten the mistakes and I still remember going to Morgantown, West Virginia for his Pro Day and outside of Robert Griffin III - it was one of the best pro days I've seen. So he can make every throw, he can do everything it takes to be an NFL quarterback. It's just about consistency.
"It's now Year 3 and believe me we put these guys way before their time out there on the field and we expect a Peyton Manning performance. It doesn't happen," Jaworski said. "I see a nice growth every single year in Geno and I like the future of the Jets with Geno Smith at quarterback."
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That could be deemed a shocking statement for a quarterback that has a career 57.5 percent completion rate and has thrown more interceptions (34) than touchdown passes (25). NFL.com added that Smith has 41 total turnovers his first two years.
But he did show improvement in his TD-to-interception ratio in 2014, throwing 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. NewYorkJets.com also backed up Jaworski's point that Smith has shown improvement.
"In Year 2, Smith's improved his completion percentage (55.8 to 59.7) while cutting down his sack (43 to 28) and interception (21 to 13) totals. Over the season's final quarter, his 105.3 passer rating ranked third in football as he completed 65.1 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and just two interceptions."
Plus, he now has inherited wide receiver Brandon Marshall to pair with Eric Decker.
But Jets veteran offensive guard Willie Colon, who recently told ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com that Smith was in no way ready to become the team's starting quarterback in 2013 after Mark Sanchez's season-ending shoulder injury, remains guarded in his comments about Smith.
"And I think right now, like [teammate Antonio Cromartie] just mentioned, we bought the Porsche," Colon told Pro Football Talk. "We've given him the keys. He can't crash it. Bottom line. He can't crash it. We need him to be on top of his game. And we're doing everything we can as an offensive line to make him comfortable back there."
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