New York Jets rookie quarterback Geno Smith has had a rough couple of days.
Smith treaded water in the Jets preseason opener against the Detroit Lions without really making up much ground on incumbent Mark Sanchez before rolling his ankle and leaving the game. He was then blasted by former West Virginia teammates for his lack of leadership.
Now, practicing on his injured ankle, Smith had a "brutal" practice according to head coach Rex Ryan.
"It was brutal," Ryan said. "That was Geno's worst day. Obviously the ankle is part of it. But way too many picks. He did not look comfortable today. We've seen guys have bad days, but this was a really bad day for Geno."
Smith seemed to shake off Ryan's criticism and insisted that his ankle is not hindering him. Smith is also beginning to bristle at the scrutiny of his every move as he competes with Sanchez for the Jets' starting role.
He also denied that he's proving some kind of warrior mentality by continuing to practice despite having a sore ankle. "I wasn't trying to really show them anything other than get out here and just continue to practice and gel with my teammates," Smith said. "I hate the fact that everybody tries to make this about me, because it's not. It's about this team and these guys out here and we all work hard together. Everybody is out there battling injuries."
Whether one awful practice will be enough to sway the quarterback competition Sanchez's way is unclear, but Ryan is refusing to tip his hand. He has not even named a starter for this weekend's preseason game, let alone who will lead the offense in the regular season.
In the same game Smith hurt his ankle, Sanchez faltered early throwing an interception to a defensive lineman on a botched screen pass that resulted in a Lions touchdown. Sanchez rebounded though, finishing 10-of-13 for the night while leading the Jets on a touchdown drive.
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