The confidence New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has displayed in addressing his competition with incoming rookie Geno Smith may be justified.
ESPNNewYork.com is reporting that the Jets are thinking about using Smith as a change-of-pace quarterback, the role Tim Tebow was supposed to have last season with the team, if he doesn't win the starting quarterback job.
And the same report said that Smith has a long way to go before he takes the starting job away from Sanchez.
"The organization wants a fresh face at quarterback, but Smith has a lot to prove after a lackluster performance in the OTAs and minicamp," the ESPNNewYork.com report said. "He has the arm and the athleticism to electrify the offense, but can he lead? Can he grasp the offense? Can he handle adversity? Chances are, he won't be able to answer them all by opening day. Bet the rent on Sanchez starting Week 1."
NFL teams don't usually start thinking of roles for a certain player unless they know he's not going to be a starter. And the Tebow experiment was a disaster last season.
Sports Illustrated called the idea of using Smith in Tebow's role a worse idea than using Tebow.
"It might be an even worse plan with Smith, if that's possible. Smith has decent speed (4.59 40 time at the combine) and can move the pocket, when needed, but he's far from a traditional 'running' quarterback. He's certainly no Tebow in that regard - Smith averaged 2.3 yards per carry last season at West Virginia and finished with negative-33 yards rushing in 2011. (NCAA stats count sacks against a QB's rushing total; the NFL does not.)"
Last week, Smith did not attend Sanchez's voluntary "Jets West" camp in Mission Viejo, Calif., which caused a minor uproar. Instead, the second-round draft pick stayed in Florida to work out by himself.
Sanchez earned praise from teammates for his leadership ability and has told the media that he feels confident that he'll be the starting quarterback this season for the Jets.
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