Geno Smith Film Study

Last year’s rookie quarterback class would be a tough act for anyone to follow. Geno isn’t playing on the same level as any of the “Big three” of that class but he’s doing well in his own right. Smith has many positive attributes that teams need from their franchise quarterback.

Strengths

• Smith has a very strong arm; he throws with power and velocity.
• Smith’s throwing mechanics are usually structurally sound.
• Smith will stare down the gun barrel in the pocket and take a big hit in order to deliver a throw downfield.
• Smith seems to always remain poised, even when he makes mistakes he never seems rattled, short memory.

Weaknesses

• Last year’s rookies raised the bar, so in contrast Smith looks subpar, but he’s just as inconsistent as your typical rookie quarterback. He makes mistakes and he makes plays, as he gains experience the key will be learning from his mistakes and performing consistently from game to game. The Atlanta game is an example of Geno at his best.

• Smith’s biggest weakness is missing opportunities, I saw him hesitate so many times on tape. Most of the time these guys were open but Smith was afraid to pull the trigger. Smith doesn’t throw with anticipation, can’t throw his guys open. In his defense his receivers often struggle to get separation.

• During the Titans game Smith didn’t take care of the ball, carrying it like a loaf of bread when he ran. The problem was corrected the next week, but these things tend to creep back up and opposing defenses will be looking to strip smith he takes off to run.

• Smith struggles throws short passes, especially slants over the middle, not sure if it’s timing with the receivers or that he’s rushing the throws but the three step drop is not Geno’s friend.

• The Jets don’t set Geno up for success they run a bunch of intermediate to deep isolation routes which require Smith to hold on to the ball longer than he should. Worse yet, the Jets don’t send receivers short so that Smith has other options, most of the routes are designed to get 10-20 yards even when the blitz is coming. The Jets should roll Smith out more, use more play action, simplify the game and let Geno get his feet wet before throwing him into the fire like they have.

Key stat: Smith under pressure completes 39.4% of his passes; with no pressure he completes 70%.

Overall: Smith has the potential to be a solid long term starting quarterback in the NFL. He’d be aided by a more innovative play calling approach.