Jets’ Rex Ryan in no rush to name Geno Smith Week 1 starting QB
The New York Jets are expected to name Geno Smith as the team’s starting quarterback for the regular season opener, but head coach Rex Ryan is not in a rush to make anything official just yet.
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“I’m not naming a starter for Week 1,” Ryan said via NFL.com on Tuesday.
Smith has started the team’s first two preseason games and the second-year quarterback who started all 16 games last year as a rookie second round pick out of West Virginia will start the third preseason game as well.
The third preseason game is annually the dress rehearsal for the regular season opener with the starters playing into the second half against the New York Giants and that will be the case in that game with Smith coming out for the third quarter.
Michael Vick will come in when Smith and the starters depart and could play the remainder of the game according to NFL.com as he looks to make his case for the starting job.
Ryan famously botched the quarterback situation last year with Mark Sanchez and Smith, but unlike last year, Smith has clearly been the guy this year and when Ryan is ready to announce his starter, expect it to be Smith.
I don’t think the delay in announcing his starting quarterback is indicative of him waffling or being unsure about the state of the quarterback.
Smith could take a big step in his second year after experiencing some growing pains in an 8-8 season with the addition of free agent receiver Eric Decker and a deeper group of running backs with Chris Johnson.