Sophomore Geno Smith will be the New York Jet's starting quarterback in the upcoming season, coach Rex Ryan announced on Friday.
Smith sort of cemented his claim to the spot when he threw a touchdown pass in the Jet's 35-24 preseason defeat to the Giants on Friday.
''He's done everything that we've asked,'' Ryan said via Yahoo! Sports.
Smith won the starting QB job over Michael Vick, who was signed last March to a one-year deal.
'This is no slight to Mike Vick, believe me,'' Ryan added. ''I wanted to come out of this knowing we had two really good quarterbacks that we can win games with, and I know, in my heart, that we have two we can win with.''
Smith has had a very solid preseason, making Ryan's announcement almost a mere formality.
'Smith was given every opportunity this summer to show he has progressed from a shaky rookie season that ended with three wins in the last four games. I think he's taken off from where he left off,'' Ryan said.
Smith said he's happy that he was named starting QB. ''It's a big deal,'' he said. ''But nothing's going to change for me. ... I think I did some good things, but I've got work to do.'
Vick, the former Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback, was all praises for the man he'll be backing up this season. ''I think it's great for Geno,'' Vick said. ''I knew the entire time that Geno was going to be the starter, but Geno went out and proved that he's capable of running this team and putting this team in a position to win.''
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