What do New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady have in common?
One is a four-time Lombardi Trophy-winner with 10 Pro Bowls, two first-team All Pro selections, three Super Bowl MVPs and one AP NFL MVP to his name in 15 NFL seasons.
The other is Geno Smith.
So, before this offseason, literally almost nothing.
Now though, it seems the two share a quarterback coach, as Smith revealed Monday to Seth Walder of the New York Daily News that he has spent his offseason working with Tom House - Brady's personal coach.
"I heard his name a few times when I was coming out of college," Smith said of House. "I always thought about working with him. I just never really had an opportunity. This past offseason, I had the opportunity to work with him and was very pleased getting in the work that we were able to do and the progress that I made."
House is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who has had something of a career resurgence as a motion tinkerer to the NFL stars.
It has got to be great news for Jets fans forced to endure what has been a putrid tenure for Smith thus far in New York that he sought the assistance of a coach at least partially responsible for maintaining the skills of one of the greatest players to ever man the quarterback position in the NFL.
Of course, House also has Tim Tebow as a client, so make of that what you will.
Still, for a guy like Smith, who finished last season with 2,525 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, it seems there's really nowhere to go but up. The 24-year-old Smith showed promise upon entering the lineup his rookie season, but wound up throwing 12 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in 2013.
That disturbing trend for turnovers continued last season as he added three fumbles to his interception total and now has a passer rating of 71.5 and 32 turnovers for his career.
Smith was a high second-round pick for a reason though, and he still boasts considerable athleticism and arm talent - for new Jets head coach Todd Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan it's simply a matter of marrying that innate skill with quality preparation and consistent on-field performance.
Smith revealed to Walder that he and House didn't change anything in his delivery - "I didn't change anything," he said. "Basically just going out there to work out and get better." - and that Jets wide receivers Shaq Evans and Quincy Enunwa worked with him alongside House in California.
"What is most impressive to me is these quarterbacks, they pick stuff up really, really quick," House said in June 2014, per The Boston Globe. "I think it's because of the necessity of the game, they have to make decisions quickly and learn quickly. When you show them what they need to do, they fix it in a blink. It's pretty impressive."
House offered this quote while discussing Brady's return from a down 2013 season.
Fans of the Jets can only hope that Smith proves as quick a study as his surefire first-ballot Hall of Fame counterpart.
