It appears as if beleaguered New York Jets coach Rex Ryan has learned his lesson when it comes to putting his starting quarterback in harm's way during preseason games; rookie quarterback Geno Smith is being held out of the Jets' final preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
In last week's game against the New York Giants, Geno Smith had his troubles, tossing three interceptions and all but sealing the deal for Mark Sanchez to be the Jets' starter for the 2013 season.
Ryan inexplicably inserted Sanchez into the game in the second half however, with the second team offense, and Sanchez injured his shoulder. His availability for the opener is unclear, and although he's been termed day-to-day, sources close to the organization say it's more like week-to-week.
Third string quarterback Greg McElroy, who started briefly last season, is also injured, opening the door for Matt Simms to get extended time in tonight's game, and potentially steal McElroy's spot as the No. 3 quarterback. I'm trying to get to 100% as fast as humanly possible," McElroy said.
Graham Harrell, who was cut by the Green Bay Packers this week after being outplayed in the preseason by Vince Young, has signed on with the Jets and also has his name in the mix for that final quarterback spot.
There are a lot of names in the hat for Ryan and his staff to choose from, but at the moment none are very appealing. Before Smith's three-interception meltdown that also included him stepping out of bounds in the end zone for a safety, Ryan had been looking for signs of improvement from Smith.
"You look for guys making the improvements, not making the same mistakes, putting the ball in front of receivers, those types of things that he needs to see (and) needs to recognize," Ryan said. Geno didn't provide that reassurance, but he may be forced into the fire regardless.
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