In May,Wholesale Jerseys From China, knee trouble caused Garrard to retire, leaving the competition between Sanchez and Smith.
NOTES: Ryan announced that Vladimir Ducasse would start at left guard, and Antonio Allen would start at safety opposite Dawan Landry. Those were the two other main competitions in training camp. ... Simms will serve as the backup to Smith over Quinn on Sunday.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Geno Smith is the new face of the franchise for the New York Jets.
Smith was off to a great start in training camp, going several practices without throwing an interception and outperforming Sanchez on some days. But Smith sprained his right ankle in the third quarter of the Jets' preseason opener at Detroit and didn't play in the second game against Jacksonville because of the injury. He started against the Giants, with the general thought being he could potentially secure the starting job with a solid performance.
"We'll go through some ups and downs, I guarantee you that,China Adidas Hockey Jerseys," Mornhinweg told the team's website. "Knowing Geno, hopefully there will be more ups than there are downs."
The Jets also have the inexperienced Matt Simms, who had a terrific preseason, and recently signed journeyman Brady Quinn. But with Sanchez not ready to play Sunday, the choice for Ryan, Idzik and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg was easy for this week.
Beyond that, we'll see.
Instead, Smith showed his inexperience during a miserable performance — hurt in part by his ailing ankle — that appeared to tip the tightly contested competition in Sanchez's favor.
"We're not looking at that," Idzik said.
"Nothing is given in this league," Smith said about needing to prove himself each week. "I'm going to go out there and I'm going to do that."
Smith, who had an up-and-down preseason, was the team's second-round draft pick out of West Virginia after he was projected by many to be selected early in the opening round. After Smith threw three interceptions and took a safety in three-plus quarters against the Giants, it was widely assumed Sanchez had won the job. But Rex Ryan chose to put Sanchez in the game in the fourth quarter — and he suffered the injury that could sideline him several weeks.
It appeared in spring that the Jets would let Sanchez compete with veteran David Garrard for the starting job. During the draft in April,Wholesale Jerseys, the Jets went for defense with their two first-round picks, selecting cornerback Dee Milliner and defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson. But when their pick came up in the second round and Smith was still available, they jumped at the chance to take him.
The rookie quarterback will start in the opener at home Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team finally confirmed Wednesday what had been expected since Mark Sanchez injured his right shoulder in a preseason game against the Giants on Aug. 24.
"I'd like to be,Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys," Smith said. "That's a tough question, but honestly, I'd love to be the franchise quarterback here. I think that's the reason they brought me here."
But the quarterback situation changed when Sanchez took a crunching hit to the shoulder from the Giants' Marvin Austin.
"We realize that a rookie quarterback and all that, that's certainly a challenge," Ryan said. "I think our guys are ready to rally behind Geno, and the big thing we've told Geno is, 'You just have to be part of the solution.'"
Well, at least for the opening game of the season.
With Smith stepping into the starter's role, it makes Sanchez's status with the team unclear. Ryan has still never declared a winner to the competition — and he might not ever do so. If Smith can be solid during Sanchez's absence, he could make it hard for Ryan to pull him. And, by never saying whether Smith or Sanchez had won the job, Ryan would never technically have benched the anointed starter.
Ryan benched Sanchez for a game last season and it appeared his days in New York were numbered. His contract, however, and the $8.25 million in guarantees for this year made him unmovable. Still some have speculated that the Jets could simply cut Sanchez and move forward entirely with Smith.
"We'll always put the best player we can on the field on Sunday, and that will continue," Johnson said. "The competition's ongoing."
Smith said his ankle is "steadily improving," and is "a ways away" from where it was in training camp,Authentic NFL Jerseys Cheap, when he wasn't able to fully drive the ball as he planted his foot.</