New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is holding his annual “Jets West” camp. His rookie counterpart Geno Smith is not in attendance, according to ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini citing a league source.
There was a bit of confusion as to whether or not Smith would attend after he was asked about the subject during minicamp, according to the New York Daily News. At first he said “no comment.”
However, the next day, the West Virginia University star spoke to clear up the two words he said 24 hour earlier.
“Sure, sure,” said Smith referring to a possible attendance at Sanchez’s camp. “We haven’t talked about it, but from my understanding it’s something that’s done annually and all the guys go out there and it’s been a great experience. Mark hasn’t officially extended the hand to me but I’m pretty sure there’s no problem there. I’m more than willing to go there.”
Instead of attending the camp Smith is said to have returned to his home state of Florida and is working out.
In minicamp Sanchez said everyone was welcome to attend. However, there is no indication of what might have changed since then. Sanchez could have offered and Smith refused or Smith could have simply not been invited.
While this is a possible sign of dissension between the quarterbacks, it may be a good thing for the New York Jets.
It seems the Jet QBs are in genuine competition for the starting spot. Competition could drive Sanchez to improve, which is something for which the Jets are hoping.
Jets head coach Rex Ryan admitted in June that Smith could be used to motivate Sanchez. Coming off a season with a 66.9 passer rating and five more interceptions than touchdowns, the USC product needs all the motivation he can get.
In 2012, former Jets backup quarterback Tim Tebow was supposed to be a part of a similar plan. However, some believe this time could be different since Tebow arguably didn’t present a legitimate threat to Sanchez’s starting job last season.
“I know what everybody’s thinking if we did that: ‘Oh, didn’t we try that last year?’ said Ryan discussing the previous plan with Tebow. “Certainly that’s a possibility... But we’ll let this thing work out and pan out, and we’ll see.”
With Week 1 still two months away there is no telling if Sanchez will start in Jets first game. For now, he is at least saying the right things.
In May the Sanchez plainly said: “I’m planning on playing. I’m planning on starting.”
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