One way Geno Smith is proudly copying Mark Sanchez
The budding relationship with his new stud receiver will continue to blossom — in Chicago.
Call it Geno’s Midwest.
Jets quarterback Geno Smith confirmed Wednesday he will gather Brandon Marshall and most of the other receivers, tight ends and running backs for passing workouts in the next two weeks leading up to training camp. Former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez used to assemble his teammates in California for workouts dubbed “Jets West,’’ and now Smith will do the same in Marshall’s hometown.
“Yes, we will all be getting together,’’ Smith said while taking a break from hosting the Northwestern Mutual Geno Smith Football ProCamp at Boonton (N.J.) High School. “It’s about a month from us reporting for camp, so it’s very important for us to continue to build on what we ended with back in minicamp.’’
Why Chicago instead of some more alluring destination? Well, Marshall’s wife Michi recently gave birth to twins. “We wanted to keep him close to them,’’ Smith said.
Smith said he expects he will be the only quarterback attending the Chicago workouts. Though the Jets signed veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, first-year head coach Todd Bowles said this offseason the starting job is Smith’s to lose. The Jets also traded up in the NFL draft to take Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty in the fourth round.
“I’ll probably be the only [quarterback] there,’’ Smith said. “It’s welcome to anyone who wants to come.It’s not like I’m barring them from coming. If they want to they can be there too.’’
Getting on the same page with Marshall is essential for Smith, as the sometimes-volatile receiver makes his feelings known when he and his quarterback are not in sync. Marshall amassed seven consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons before injuries limited him to 721 yards with the Bears last season.
“He’s a quarterback’s best friend,’’ said Smith, who made sure Marshall roomed with him during the spring offseason program. “He’s a guy, for one, he’s a veteran guy; he understands the game on and off the field; he’s a beast of a player. You can’t say enough good things about him.”
“He’s a very fun, unique guy. He likes to read a lot of books. He’s quiet, down to earth, really to himself, but he’s also a guy who voices his opinion. We’ve had our moments where we talk about everything, from on the field, off the field, to where we want to go, to where we’re at right now in the process.’’
As far as holding onto the starting job, Smith said he’s not obsessing over it as he embarks on year No. 3 with the Jets.
“I don’t feel any pressure,’’ he said. “The key thing is going into camp, I’m going in with the right mind-set. I feel like we’ve got a lot of room for improvement, but I love the way we’re working and competing. To have guys around me that are so, so good, it takes all the pressure off of me.
“I’m in competition with myself to try and be perfect. I’m in competition with Ryan. I’m in competition with Bryce. All the guys out there, the defense. I’m in competition with the guys on offense. We all want to try to perfect our game and we’re all gonna set the standard high and try to hold each other accountable.’’
http://nypost.com/2015/07/02/following-sanchez-blueprint-genos-plan-for-building-jets-chemistry/
The budding relationship with his new stud receiver will continue to blossom — in Chicago.
Call it Geno’s Midwest.
Jets quarterback Geno Smith confirmed Wednesday he will gather Brandon Marshall and most of the other receivers, tight ends and running backs for passing workouts in the next two weeks leading up to training camp. Former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez used to assemble his teammates in California for workouts dubbed “Jets West,’’ and now Smith will do the same in Marshall’s hometown.
“Yes, we will all be getting together,’’ Smith said while taking a break from hosting the Northwestern Mutual Geno Smith Football ProCamp at Boonton (N.J.) High School. “It’s about a month from us reporting for camp, so it’s very important for us to continue to build on what we ended with back in minicamp.’’
Why Chicago instead of some more alluring destination? Well, Marshall’s wife Michi recently gave birth to twins. “We wanted to keep him close to them,’’ Smith said.
Smith said he expects he will be the only quarterback attending the Chicago workouts. Though the Jets signed veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, first-year head coach Todd Bowles said this offseason the starting job is Smith’s to lose. The Jets also traded up in the NFL draft to take Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty in the fourth round.
“I’ll probably be the only [quarterback] there,’’ Smith said. “It’s welcome to anyone who wants to come.It’s not like I’m barring them from coming. If they want to they can be there too.’’
Getting on the same page with Marshall is essential for Smith, as the sometimes-volatile receiver makes his feelings known when he and his quarterback are not in sync. Marshall amassed seven consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons before injuries limited him to 721 yards with the Bears last season.
“He’s a quarterback’s best friend,’’ said Smith, who made sure Marshall roomed with him during the spring offseason program. “He’s a guy, for one, he’s a veteran guy; he understands the game on and off the field; he’s a beast of a player. You can’t say enough good things about him.”
“He’s a very fun, unique guy. He likes to read a lot of books. He’s quiet, down to earth, really to himself, but he’s also a guy who voices his opinion. We’ve had our moments where we talk about everything, from on the field, off the field, to where we want to go, to where we’re at right now in the process.’’
As far as holding onto the starting job, Smith said he’s not obsessing over it as he embarks on year No. 3 with the Jets.
“I don’t feel any pressure,’’ he said. “The key thing is going into camp, I’m going in with the right mind-set. I feel like we’ve got a lot of room for improvement, but I love the way we’re working and competing. To have guys around me that are so, so good, it takes all the pressure off of me.
“I’m in competition with myself to try and be perfect. I’m in competition with Ryan. I’m in competition with Bryce. All the guys out there, the defense. I’m in competition with the guys on offense. We all want to try to perfect our game and we’re all gonna set the standard high and try to hold each other accountable.’’
http://nypost.com/2015/07/02/following-sanchez-blueprint-genos-plan-for-building-jets-chemistry/
