Geno Smith's poor 2014 season with the New York Jets came to a head in Week 8 when the second-year quarterback completed just 2 of 8 passes for 5 yards with three interceptions. He was replaced in the lineup by Michael Vick, who went on to start for the Jets in Week 9.
Jets coaches tried to dictate Geno Smith’s reads, according to report
One of the three interceptions thrown by Geno Smith in Week 8 came after coaches reportedly told the quarterback to throw to Percy Harvin.
Jeff Zelevansky
Some believe Smith’s struggles are due to the Jets’ coaching, including a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, which details “heavy-handed coaching” from the New York staff.
According to Rapoport, the Jets coaches tried to simplify things for Smith and "dictated his reads" for him. The most egregious example was Smith's first interception in Week 8, when the quarterback was reportedly told to throw to Percy Harvin. He did and the throw was ultimately intercepted by Buffalo Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
How much blame should be placed on the Jets’ coaches is difficult to determine since Smith may have struggled regardless of the circumstances. However, Scott Salmon of SB Nation’s Jets blog, Gang Green Nation, says this isn’t the first time the team has made mistakes developing a young passer:
This isn’t to suggest that Smith shouldn’t be farther along at this point, because he’s obviously failed to play at a competent level, but this reeks of the color-coded chart the team gave Mark Sanchez when he was a young quarterback. Simply put, it’s bad coaching. This is hardly breaking news, but the Jets have simply no idea how to develop a young quarterback.
Vick is expected to start for the Jets again in Week 10 when the team hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Smith is slated to be the team's backup quarterback. Matt Simms served as the backup for the Jets in Week 9 as Smith recovered from a shoulder injury.
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