It's not a good week to be New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith. After lobbing an F-bomb at a fan after a multi-turnover game (his third of the season) last week, Smith recently got a little agitated with reporters.
Smith bristled when asked by reporters on Wednesday if he sees any value in bringing backup quarterback Michael Vick into a game to spark the team.
"I don't know what you're trying to lead to with that question," Smith said before interrupting an attempt by the reporter to clarify the question. "Maybe that's your opinion."
"What do you mean a spark? We've already put him in."
Smith continued being defensive when asked again if Vick could help the offense.
"That doesn't make sense. What team do you see doing that? That's not a question. Next question."
This was the second time this week that Smith grew agitated with reporters. On Monday, he claimed that the media was attempting to make his story "something that's not about football."
However, these questions are justified, given Smith's lack of production and New York's offensive struggles this season. Through four games, the second-year signal caller has seven turnovers, including two in the fourth quarter of last week's loss to the Detroit Lions. Smith is just 9-11 as a starter with 32 turnovers in his career. He has 11 multi-turnover games and has thrown an interception in 80% of his appearances.
Vick has continued to say all the right things when asked about the Jets quarterback situation.
"No," Vick answered when asked if there's value in replacing Smith in a game if the struggles continue. "We don't need any more distractions right now even though I don't think I would be a distraction if I went in and played temporarily. We just need to focus on beating San Diego."
Coach Rex Ryan offered support for Smith Wednesday while also talking about "organizational decisions" and "Jets decisions" which hinted that general manager John Idzik could be playing a significant role in deciding who starts on game days. Ryan did say that he is in charge of deciding who gets benched during a game, though.
"During a game, who else is going to make them?" Ryan said. "That falls on my shoulders and I think that's obvious... I'll make that decision."
Smith answered with a simple "next question" when asked if he should play the entire game against the Chargers this weekend. It is widely speculated that Ryan's job is on the line this season, making the debate over which quarterback gives the team a better chance to win an added layer of drama.
