Another day, another round of anonymous sources ripping new Jets quarterback Geno Smith.
This time the anonymous sources talked to ESPN.com, which quotes two people who work for NFL teams and who think Smith has character issues that will make life rough for him in his new NFL home.
“He’s going to have a tough time in New York,” an NFC scout said. “Right now, he’s coming off as a spoiled, pampered brat.”
Smith’s decision to fire his agents also has caused him to take some criticism from those who see it as a sign that he doesn’t stick it out when the going gets tough.
“One of his perceived weaknesses is working through adversity,” an AFC personnel executive said.
One of the problems Smith is having right now, as Mike Florio noted on PFT Live, is the very fact that he doesn’t have an agent. When players are taking heat in the media, it’s often the agent who gives him good public relations advice and helps him to beat back all the hits he’s taking. Smith could use someone whose job it is to look out for his interests, and he doesn’t have that right now.
But what’s unclear is why so many unnamed sources -- including those who revealed this week that Smith didn’t handle himself well in pre-draft interviews -- are coming out of the woodwork right now, a week after Smith was drafted. It’s starting to feel like piling on.
Whatever the reasons, Smith seems to have a lot of people around the league who don’t like him.