Outside of helping the team land the No. 1 overall pick, Geno Smith failed in every conceivable way as the quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders. He couldn't get his playmakers involved, took too many sacks, turned it over frequently, got his coach fired and was eventually dealt for pennies on the dollar.
To make matters worse, he never took accountability for his shortcomings, which helped create a toxic culture in the Las Vegas locker room. Smith also made obscene gestures toward Raider Nation after a particularly embarrassing loss, which displayed a blatant disrespect for this great fanbase.
Fans are thanking their lucky stars that Smith is now the New York Jets' problem. And Raider Nation simply has to laugh at one of the Jets' coaches completely falling for the same propaganda about Smith that Las Vegas did a year ago. It's kind of sad, but honestly, more hilarious than anything.
Jets are falling for same Geno Smith propaganda Las Vegas Raiders did a year ago
Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich spoke to the media last week and was asked about what he's seen from Smith so far. Despite being a veteran coach with skins on the wall who should know better, Reich praised Smith to no end in a quote that can only make Raiders fans crack up.
“I am just so impressed by Geno,” Reich said. “I cannot express that enough. I know we haven’t played any games yet. We’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got a lot to prove, and everybody’s got a lot to prove. But man, he is on point. His preparation is top-notch. His football mind is elite.”
Keep a straight face, guys.
Smith, to be fair, has taken part in many NFL offseason programs. He has plenty of background in how to thrive when the pads aren't on and live bullets aren't flying. And he fooled this team and fanbase just a year ago, so it is difficult to be too hard on New York for being optimistic.
But the Jets saw Smith play last year for the Raiders, and they know how bad he was. Las Vegas only saw Smith play adequately for the Seahawks, so a path to him being sufficient for the Silver and Black wasn't too difficult to see. New York is grasping at straws, though.
Reich, who has been around great quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Andrew Luck, Matt Ryan and Jim Kelly during his coaching and playing career, even referenced these players in his effusive praise for the underwhelming veteran quarterback.
“The way he’s communicating in the huddle, at the line of scrimmage, the way he communicates in the quarterback room,” Reich said. “I’ve been around a lot of really smart and good quarterbacks. All I’m going to say is, we’re in good shape.”
I mean... Good shape to get the No. 1 pick? Did Reich even watch the disaster that was Geno Smith in Las Vegas last year? Reich has to say the right things at this juncture in the offseason, I get that. He can't publicly criticize the starting quarterback or act like things are going anything but very well.
That said, to completely mislead Jets fans and write some checks that Smith absolutely won't cash is a bridge too far, and it is unnecessary. Fans don't need to be sold false hope, and that is what praising Smith is. Again, please, somebody look at what he did in Las Vegas last season.
At the end of the day, time will only tell how Smith fares in his second stint with the Jets. His having a revival of sorts would certainly make for a good story. But Reich's assertion that New York is in great shape with Smith at the helm has to make Raider Nation chuckle quite a bit.
They have seen this film before, and they know how it ends.
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