Keyshawn Johnson thinks New York Jets ready for change
By Mike Dyce
The clearly most covered quarterback competiton this offseason is in the New York Jets training camp between Geno Smith and Mark Sanchez. In a interview with ESPN NY’s Rich Cimini, former USC Trojan and New York Jets wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson thinks it is time to had the reins to Smith.
“Geno will add another dimension of attitude to the team,” Johnson said. “The players are probably more receptive to him than Mark. I would think the players like him more than Mark. They’ve been around Mark and they’re tired of Mark’s [crap]. That’s how players think. Geno Smith is the new wave. He’s hip, he’s cool. Mark is in a tough spot.”
It is interesting to note that Johnson and Mark Sanchez share the USC bond. While he thinks Sanchez’s lackluster performance is the reason for the change, he notes that it is the way his career in the NFL was handled that could’ve led to this situation.
“He was just OK in college. He wasn’t a home-run hitter. Then you put him in New York; that’s one of the worst things you could’ve done,” Johnson said. “Had you put him in Green Bay and let him sit like Aaron Rodgers for several years, maybe he could’ve ended up like Rodgers. He was thrown into the fire right away and made two playoff appearances, and now he feels like, ‘I’m the s—, nobody can tell me anything.’ They started losing and his confidence was shaken, and then he has [Tim] Tebow hovering over his shoulder.
“Now they draft Geno Smith after paying [Sanchez] a bunch of money. I get it, Geno Smith in the second round, he’s very talented. But I don’t know if they’ve put Mark in the best situations throughout his career. [In 2009], with that defense and that running game, they could’ve gone to the playoffs with Mark Brunell at quarterback. They got to the championship games running the ball all day and playing defense.”