The New York Jets quarterback situation is far from settled, with both incumbent Mark Sanchez and rookie Geno Smith on near-even footing. Their relationship, though, has appeared frayed from the get-go, and that was never clearer than when Smith did not attend Sanchez's "Jets West" voluntary camp.
Sanchez seemed to have the support of his teammates, and now Smith is apparently trying to smooth things over. "Me and Mark are cool; there's no hard feelings or anything," Smith said. "He's up there getting work with the guys. I'm down here getting work."
Smith also said that he's taking the competition with Sanchez seriously, and was upfront in saying he expects to win the starting job, "as I've said all along." Smith also claimed the controversy over "Jets West" was a media creation. "They got to create a hot story. They got to keep the fans interested, so they're going to put whatever they want out there,"
Sanchez was playing nice in the media as well, even though he also strongly declared that he will be the starter come Week 1. I don't hold it against any of the guys who can't make it," Sanchez said Friday after a two-hour practice. "There are no hard feelings about anything like [that]."
Although the Jets choice of Smith seemed to signal they're preparing to move on from Sanchez, it is worth it to note that Sanchez's tenure in New York hasn't been all bad. He reached the AFC Championship game in each of his first two seasons at the helm of the Jets offense, and could very well hold off the rookie this training camp.
In 2010, Sanchez threw for 3,291 yards and 17 touchdowns, as the Jets reached their second straight AFC title game. The following season the Jets were just 8-8, but statistically Sanchez took another step forward, throwing 26 touchdowns to 18 interceptions. He regressed last season though, and his inaccuracy failed to improve, casting doubt on his future with the team.
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