Rookie QB Geno Smith has performed better than Mark Sanchez in the first week of training camp, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Rich Cimini.
"He can do more" than Sanchez, one veteran requesting anonymity said Wednesday.
Wednesday was Sanchez’s day to run with the starters and he went 3-for-10. He also threw an interception and one of his passes was dropped. Wednesday’s interception was Sanchez’s second pick is as many practices.
On Smith’s day with the starters he went 5-for-6 and was sacked twice. He has yet to throw an interception but is not fast enough getting rid of the ball. That will become important when the team begins live tackling.
"Everybody gets enamored with the guy who throws a 96 mph fastball," Ryan said referring to Smith. However, Ryan immediately followed up by saying, "But Mark certainly has a good enough arm to play in this league."
Mark Sanchez has said he is confident he will be the starting quarterback Week 1. When asked if he thinks he’s winning the QB competition he said, “"I don't know, ask the coaches. I feel good, though. I feel confident. I feel like I'm playing really well."
According to CImini, the Jets hope Smith figures out Marty Morningweg's West Coast system—somthehing he's reportedly struggled with—and take over the starting job.
Rex Ryan has expressed interest in using Smith out of the Wildcat—a plan they were’t really able to do excecute Tim Tebow because, as Ryan admits, the Jets didn’t trust Tebow to throw the ball. Tebow mostly caught the snap and attempted to run up the middle. He finished the year with 32 carries and an average of 3.2 yards per carry.
"I think if that's the only thing you do with that position, why don't you just leave a running back in, a guy that's trained to do it?" Ryan said referring to the failure of last year’s Wildcat attempts. "If you're going to have a quarterback do it, like a (Colin) Kaepernick or somebody like that, it becomes more of a weapon because you know it's not just Tebow coming and he's going to run the ball. That's kind of where we were last year.”
The Jets head coach was asked if they’d use the Wildcat or read option more this season.
"We probably will because, you guys say it, we never used it," he predicted. "So I would say, yeah, I think that will be part of what we do."
Sanchez acknowledged Smith’s athleticism saying the rookie was “very talented when it comes to that stuff. But I can't worry about it.”
He also laughed at the site of the analysts and journalists who are constantly writing things down after every drill during Jets training camp. He said it was similar to when, in 2009, he was a rookie and competing for the starting job with Kellen Clemens who had been entering his fourth year.
"For you (reporters), it's your job, but it's funny to see everybody else charting stuff," he said. "Everything is under scrutiny. There's a ton of pressure. That's the way you like it, that's the way you play this position."
This time, Sanchez is hoping the more experience player wins out.
