It seemed the New York Jets quarterback competition shifted in the favor of Mark Sanchez on Wednesday after rookie Geno Smith threw three interceptions in practice—his worst performance of training camp—and suffered an ankle injury in the Jets first preseason game. However, according to stats posted by the New York Daily News’ Seth Walder, the competition may be a bit closer than they appear—very close.
Here’s the tweet from Walder:
My (real) full Cortland QB stats: Sanchez 71-125 (56.8%), 10 TDs, 4 INTs, 10 sacks. Geno 70-124 (56.5%), 10 TDs, 5 INTs, 14 sacks. #nyj
Dan Hanzus of NFL.com points out that the numbers are fairly even despite Smith’s recent subpar performance. Many analysts have said this is not a good sign for Sanchez, since a 5-year vet should be thoroughly outperforming a rookie.
Smith suffered his ankle injury during the Jets first preseason game. He was attempting to scramble and rolled his ankle.
The 22-year old rookie said the injury was not the reason for his bad day on the practice field, according to ESPNNewYork.com.
"Not one bit," he said.
So what was the reason for Smith’s poor performance?
"I don't know, you have to watch the tape," he said. "I'm pretty sure y'all got it. Just go ahead and watch it.
Sanchez had a much better day than Smith on Wednesday. He completed seven of his 11 passes and tossed a couple of touchdowns to wide receiver Braylon Edwards.
"I think it went just about as well as it could," Sanchez said about the first half of camp. "I felt good. I thought I threw the ball well. I was accurate. I did my best to take care of the ball. I moved the offense down the field. I think we did that in spurts."
Jets head coach Rex Ryan said Wednesday he is going to have to “see more of both guys” before he makes a decision. If Sanchez and Smith continue to put up similar stats—and Smith’s ankle heals properly—the starting quarterback may not be revealed until Week 1.
