Geno Smith outplaying Mark Sanchez

[Hammock Parties]

Suck it, haters. Suck the choco-penii of destiny, feel it's power. It could have been ours.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/stor...-training-camp

CORTLAND, N.Y. -- Rookie Geno Smith has outplayed Mark Sanchez through the first week of training camp, pulling even or perhaps ahead in the New York Jets' quarterback competition.

"He can do more" than Sanchez, one veteran said Wednesday, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

It was Sanchez's turn to lead the starting unit and he struggled, throwing an interception for the second straight practice. Smith has yet to throw an interception in team drills over the first five practices.

It's premature to anoint a starter -- after all, they haven't begun live tackling -- but the early development is noteworthy because people close to the team expected Sanchez, based on his experience, to look sharper than Smith at the outset. That hasn't been the case.

"Everybody gets enamored with the guy who throws a 96 mph fastball," coach Rex Ryan said of Smith. To be politically correct, Ryan quickly added, "But Mark certainly has a good enough arm to play in this league."

It didn't sound like a ringing endorsement. Sanchez declined to say whether he believes he's leading the competition.

"I don't know, ask the coaches," he said. "I feel good, though. I feel confident. I feel like I'm playing really well."

Smith has sparkled with his accuracy, but he tends to hold the ball too long when facing pressure, according to Ryan. That, he said, "concerns me a little bit." The organization knows what it has in Sanchez, who was benched late last season.

Privately, the hope is that Smith can master the offense and seize the starting job. Even if he doesn't win it, Smith will be involved in the offense. Even though Tim Tebow is gone, Ryan said he remains committed to running the ball from the quarterback position.

He's intrigued by Smith's running ability, which would give the Jets a run-pass option at the quarterback position. Ryan acknowledged the plan, admitting last year's strategy under former coordinator Tony Sparano was ill-conceived. They never trusted Tebow to throw the ball. Whenever they used him, it usually was a read-option running play between the tackles.

"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, second-guessing last season's approach. "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."

Ryan laughed when asked if he plans to use the Wildcat (or read-option) more than last year. Tebow finished with 32 rushes, averaging only 3.2 yards per carry.

"We probably will because, you guys say it, we never used it," he said. "So I would say, yeah, I think that will be part of what we do."

In the Wildcat, the ball is snapped to a nonquarterback. In those situations, the Jets can utilize wide receiver Jeremy Kerley or a running back, probably Bilal Powell. When Smith is on the field, either as the starter or a change-of-pace quarterback, they can employ the read-option.

The presence of new quarterbacks coach David Lee, one of the Wildcat innovators, is another reason the team is planning to use it. Sanchez said he could run the read-option, but there's little chance of that happening. His running ability will forever be linked to the "Butt Fumble," when he ran into a lineman's rear end last season.

Smith's athleticism could be a factor in the quarterback decision. Sanchez acknowledged that Smith is "very talented when it comes to that stuff. But I can't worry about it." Sanchez joked about the quarterback competition, mentioning that he sees more front-office types on the field for practice, scribbling notes during routine drills.

He said it reminds him of his rookie year in 2009, when he won the job against Kellen Clemens.

"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."

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by SNR

Jesus ****ing Christ. I can't believe ESPN actually tallied numbers from a ****ing scrimmage.

I know I know... New York... popularity matters... whatever. But for ****'s sake, who does that shit?

Heh.

I used to do it six years ago in my camp reports.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by Alex Smith HATER

Bryan Bulaga was the ****ing 23rd pick.

Exactly. People are sitting around holding their dicks on this issue. "WHO DID YOU EXPECT THEM TO PICK THERE WUZ NOBODY LAWL!"

Yes, the talent at the top was shitty. It was NOT 23rd overall shitty. No draft is that terrible.

We could have done better. A LOT better.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by SNR

Then there's the other argument that says it's not just enough to be better than Bulaga. Fisher has to be a top 5 and possibly even top 3 OT in the NFL for him to be worth the pick that we used on him. I'm absolutely championing this idea. It's nothing against Fisher himself, but it's everything to do with the way Dorsey and Reid sort of threw up their arms and said, "Welp, SOMEbody's gotta be the best player in this draft... Fisher it is."

I just cant buy that set ceiling for him, no matter the spot chosen.

He's gotta be top 3 or 5... you must know the improbability of him reaching that, just the same as if Geno or any other position had been drafted #1 by the Chiefs... did you expect him to vault to the top of the pile his rookie year?

If you dont expect that of him, its hard to see how you expect that from any other player... indeed, quarterback is far harder to master than most positions, but isnt expecting a rookie anywhere on the team to be a world beater a bit much?

[BossChief]

This team would have been a lot better with Tavon Austin and keeping Winston.

Lets just hope Fisher is a fast learner and that he starts to get adjusted to the difference in technique because as it sits he looks like a guy trying to learn how to hit from the other side of the plate or throw with his non dominant arm.

I just fear that we are wasting his first two years in the league by trying to force him to learn right tackle this year and next year trying to get him to go back to left tackle.

Did the Chiefs even offer Albert a contract?

Also, Albert was solid as a rock all practice.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by scott free

I just cant buy that set ceiling for him, no matter the spot chosen.

He's gotta be top 3 or 5... you must know the improbability of him reaching that, just the same as if Geno or any other position had been drafted #1 by the Chiefs... did you expect him to vault to the top of the pile his rookie year?

If you dont expect that of him, its hard to see how you expect that from any other player... indeed, quarterback is far harder to master than most positions, but isnt expecting a rookie anywhere on the team to be a world beater a bit much?

He has to do it because we could have done so much better if he were just a run of the mill OT ranked somewhere between 10-15.

This is the #1 overall ****ing pick we're talking about. Go big or go home. Your team doesn't wind up with that selection if they're well-constructed with leadership in all the right spots.

[Setsuna]

Scott free you're moving goal posts. How many freaking times did we here that OT was the easiest position to transition to in the NFL? Like a million. This is disheartening for people that actually liked the pick. Yall can't backtrack fast enough. True fan gif activate!

[RealSNR]

Boss, did you get a chance to see Stephenson? I know he's probably working out mostly on the left side, but he did play a bit of RT in last year's training camp as well as well as this year's minicamp. It's not a completely foreign position to him.

Just wondering in case Fisher doesn't actually get shit together by the time preseason play ends

[BossChief]

I'll try to watch the OL a little more tomorrow to see if I can pick up on anything else. I was on the hill today and the OL was working the other field. The only times when it was easily seen from our side was when they ran through 1on1s and redzone work on our side.

In those instances, Fisher looked bad.

I didn't even watch Stephenson. I will tomorrow.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by Brainiac

**** off. It's year 44 for me. I don't know of anyone on Chiefsplanet who has been a Chiefs fan longer than me. I became a fan in 1969 when I was 11 years old. I imagine Gblowfish and Rain Man are pretty close, but I don't think anyone on this site has me beat.

I've seen more than my share of shitty times, and that helps me appreciate the good times. Obviously 1969 was a great time. The Marty years were good times. So were the Vermeil years. Everything else was total crap.

The hiring of Andy Reid just feels like the beginning of a good time, and I'm not going to give up on it before a single down has been played.

My father died in 1963.
The Chiefs filled some of the emptyness I felt with that loss after my uncle took my brothers and me to a game to give my mom some time alone .
I've been a fan since.
I share Deez's sentiment.

[ChiefsCountry]

So Eric Fisher is turning into Brian Jozwiak. Nice to see the safe pick is turning out so well.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

So Eric Fisher is turning into Brian Jozwiak. Nice to see the safe pick is turning out so well.

According to some people, it's all Branden Albert's fault.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Clayton Bibsby

Scott free you're moving goal posts. How many freaking times did we here that OT was the easiest position to transition to in the NFL? Like a million. This is disheartening for people that actually liked the pick. Yall can't backtrack fast enough. True fan gif activate!

Good grief.

I'm neutral on the pick. But it's week ****ing 2 for a rookie playing a position on the complete opposite side of the line, and everyone knew he was drafted over Joeckl because of upside (not because of ability to contribute right away).

Regardless of whether you liked or didn't like the pick, it's just plain insanity that anyone wants to make anything of Eric Fisher's performance so far. JFC.

[keg in kc]

Let's not turn this left/right thing into some monumental struggle. Fisher's played on the right side before, and his flexibility was one of the reasons they drafted him over Joeckel. In Dorsey's own words: "He has a capability of playing left tackle, a right tackle and can actually play guard inside."

(He did all of that in college, in fact)

If he is struggling, it's most likely basic technique and facing a level of competition he's never seen.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

Good grief.

I'm neutral on the pick. But it's week ****ing 2 for a rookie playing a position on the complete opposite side of the line, and everyone knew he was drafted over Joeckl because of upside (not because of ability to contribute right away).

Regardless of whether you liked or didn't like the pick, it's just plain insanity that anyone wants to make anything of Eric Fisher's performance so far. JFC.

Indeed sir, indeed... these mountebanks and scoundrels need a good thrashing i dare say!

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Let's not turn this left/right thing into some monumental struggle. Fisher's played on the right side before, and his flexibility was one of the reasons they drafted him over Joeckel. In Dorsey's own words: "He has a capability of playing left tackle, a right tackle and can actually play guard inside."

(He did all of that in college, in fact)

It's not a monumental struggle, sure.

But it's week 2 for crying out loud. And having the capability to play a position doesn't mean you're going to walk into the position and immediately click on all cylinders. Especially with his hand technique.