New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith
New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith did exactly what the team needed him to do in their Week 1 victory over the Tennessee Titans, and he shook off some external concern from fans and analysts that he may not still have it after a down year with the Las Vegas Raiders.
From playcalling to execution, to what it suggests about Smith's second tenure in green, I’ll break down everything there is to know about the most important section in the Jets’ playbook in Jets Air Traffic Report.
As a former college quarterback, I'll also try to take you into the mind of the hardest position in sports to offer a more psychological take on what it all means.
Geno Smith gave the Jets exactly what they needed in Week 1
Translation: A New Geno?
Smith finished 19-of-24 for 215 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have willingly fought a lion before believing that this stat line belonged to Geno Smith.
Geno? Mr. Led the league in interceptions last year, Geno? Mr. Gunslinger since his days in Morgantown, Geno? Are we sure this isn’t a stat line for 2002 Chad Pennington?
And yet, here we are. Maybe this is who Geno has always been, or maybe Frank Reich has unlocked a new version of the 35-year-old vet.
Either way, this kind of efficiency in the passing game was a welcome delight for every Jets fan who’s suffered through some of the most bizarre quarterback play of any team on earth over the past several years. Even when it’s been good, it’s been stressful. However, Sunday felt like a walk through a sunny country field.
Effective? Yes. Boring? Also yes. But boring is good, especially for Week 1. The Jets had an entire offseason to script this game, and if meat and potatoes were the goal, then they absolutely nailed it.
After what Zach Wilson put Jets fans through, I was in a state of bliss watching Smith throw shallow drags and checkdowns all afternoon.
Garrett Wilson was as consistent as always, Adonai Mitchell showed flashes of what he could be, and even though Kenyon Sadiq’s touchdown was technically a running play, I think we all saw the potential for a guy who might already be the most athletic tight end of all time after just one game.
The pass game looked pretty much the same all afternoon. I don’t think a single Titans player touched Smith until postgame handshakes. The protection was outstanding. The play-calling was conservative, but nice. Geno’s favorite target on the day? His first read. For the first half, this basically meant the guy physically closest to him, but I, for one, am just fine with that.
Especially because in the second half, the sky opened up (no, it didn’t rain). Geno started to push the ball down the field. Granted, it was on the same route combination over and over, but for a team and a scheme that has been as erratic as the Jets... run it again, baby!
Jets passing game will need more creativity against better defenses
Takeaway: Room to grow on great foundation
It was tough to tell how good the Jets were versus how bad Tennessee was. Context clues from their other phases of the game suggest that this might turn out to be the easiest game on the Jets' schedule when we look back on it.
For the most part, the big plays in the second half all came from the same general route concept. There are many names for it, but to make the complex simple, it's a quick ball fake to the running back, followed by all receivers running routes that eventually get closer and closer to the opposite sideline.
On the three biggest gains of the day, Smith hit Wilson twice on "over" routes, where he ran all the way from the opposite side of the field, behind the linebackers but in front of the secondary.
The big shot downfield to Mitchell was a result of a blown coverage by Tennessee that allowed him to extend his route by about 15 yards to an opening. The ball was underthrown, but as a quarterback, throwing to an open area that your receiver can get to is always okay.
The Titans made no adjustments to stop the concept, so I have no problem with Reich continuing to call it. However, now that it's on tape, the chances of it working with the same level of consistency next week feel unlikely.
It will also be good to know if the commitment to the combination in this game was a simple decision not to fix what isn't broken, or if it was the only one Reich had confidence in Geno to execute. As far as a read progression goes for quarterbacks, these kinds of plays would be classified in the "easy" category.
That being said, Tennessee's coverage was split almost 50/50 between zone and man defense, and the Jets beat them on both. It was good to see that the receivers can be equally effective beating one-on-one coverage as well as seeing and finding the same pockets as Geno against zone looks.
Simple worked on Sunday, but I’d imagine a more creative call sheet will be needed in future games. Especially if the Jets aren't running the ball at will like they did all day Sunday. Would love to see some more eye candy, multi-level attacking, and additional opportunities for YAC via screen variations or in-breaking routes.
Overall Rating: 7.8 ⭐️
Like buttered toast, but when you haven't had it in a while, it tastes incredible. Nothing fancy, just really solid. There's room for growth, but it's hard to complain about a win in Week 1.
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