CORTLAND – After three months of being peppered with questions about a quarterback competition that hadn’t even started in earnest yet, Mark Sanchez and rookie Geno Smith finally got on the field for the first day of Jets training camp today.
And while Smith had said yesterday he wouldn’t consider it a failure if he got beat out by Sanchez, Gang Green’s incumbent and nominal starter isn’t even considering the possibility of losing the job, confident enough to help Smith at every turn in the QB room and at practice but still convinced he’ll start.
“I don’t know. I don’t even think like that. I don’t think about not winning the job. That’s just the way I am, I’m pretty optimistic,’’ said Sanchez, who was 8-of-11 with two sacks during the team portion of practice and showed the old rapport he had with veteran wide receiver Braylon Edwards.
“Mark is looking at it from the standpoint this is his chance to prove everybody wrong. A lot of people have written him off, said a lot of nasty things about him,’’ said Edwards. “But the thing I admire about Mark is he’s always been professional and mature in the standpoint of the situation. He knows his stuff. That’s not going to be a problem.’’
For his part, Sanchez praised his rookie competition, saying that Smith acquitted himself well.
“He did great. He’s doing a good job: He always has. He works hard, he’s busting his butt,’’ said Sanchez. “He’s a great competitive and we get the best out of each other. The best player will play.’’
Smith, who was middling at best during spring drills, had a solid first day. It was hardly error-free, but he went 4-of-7 with just one sack without any horribly glaring gaffes.
“We completed them; that’s always the goal, every time you get an opportunity. The main thing is I went through my reads, my drops were good, proper depth, I was hitting receivers in stride and placing the ball where I wanted,’’ said Smith. “But there’s a lot to improve on.
“I had errors; but the good thing is there’s always things to learn from, things to improve…It’s only Day 1. It’s a long camp ahead of us. My goal is to get better at everything I do, on the field, in the film room, even if I’m in my room studying. I’m trying to perfect my craft.’’
And it’s worth noting that Sanchez is actively trying to help him perfect it, clearly not holding back valuable guidance or worried about holding onto his job.
“I appreciate Mark for what he does for me on and off the field. He teaches me and he helps me to get acclimated to the pro game. We have a really good relationship. When we’re on the field we encourage each other but we also compete,’’ said Smith. “It speaks volumes about his character. Mark’s a great guy. He’s always willing to help me.’’
Which begs the question of why? Sanchez said that’s just the right thing to do, the way he was raised in the NFL.
“I think it’s the right thing to do. You’ve got to be a pro, no matter what you’re doing,’’ said Sanchez. “When I came in as a rookie Kellen Clemens and I were competing and Kellen wasn’t shy if I were to ask him a question to help me out. That’s the way I learned. I guess that’s the way I was brought up in this league. It’s the right thing to do. Maybe not everybody does it, but that’s me.’’
Edwards worked with both today, and walked away impressed not only with Smith’s accuracy but his attitude and his aptitude as well.
“What I saw out of Geno was a guy that came here to start,’’ said Edwards. “He didn’t have the greatest practice, don’t get me wrong: But you can just tell from his attitude he’s not here just happy to be in the NFL, happy to be backing up a Mark Sanchez. He’s here to start. He has that attitude. You can tell a leadership quality about him.’’
Edwards played not only with Sanchez as a rookie in 2009, but Cleveland rookie Charlie Fry in 2005, Browns rookie Brady Quinn in 2007, San Francisco rookie Colin Kaepernick in 2011 and Seattle rookie Russell Wilson last year. And Edwards said Smith’s approach was comparable to Wilson, who led the Seahawks to the playoffs last year as a rookie.
“Geno and Russell are probably the best that I’ve seen – including Mark — in terms of their approach and attitude. I have to see more out of Geno because I’ve only been around him less than 48 hours,’’ said Smith. “Russell was a maniac when it came to breaking down film, asking questions, doing extra things on the practice field.
“That’s where I see the potential in Geno, in how he comes to the huddle, how he asks questions in meetings. He’s right there with Mark, when he gets trivia, he fires in right back at Marty (Mornhinweg, offensive coordinator) as well. So I see potential for him to have a lot of success in this league.’’