Geno Smith knows his place with his new team, and he’s going to make the most of it.
Smith, the backup to Eli Manning with the Giants, says he’ll use his position as Manning’s backup to make himself a better quarterback, studying everything about the way Manning approaches his job.
“I think the opportunity to learn from [quarterbacks] coach [Frank] Cignetti, coach [Ben] McAdoo, and to be alongside Eli and learn from him, a two-time Super Bowl champion and, in my opinion, a Hall of Fame quarterback,” Smith said. “I think it will work out tremendously for me. And it’s also an opportunity to be on a real good team, a winning team, get healthy – it’s just a perfect scenario for me. I couldn’t have written it up any better myself.”
Smith thinks he can be a good student and Manning can be a good teacher.
“This is definitely an opportunity for me to learn and to get better,” Smith said. “I want to carry my notepad around and whatever I see Eli doing, whether it’s in the classroom, on the field or off the field, I want to write it down. Because he’s a guy you can model yourself after. If you learn from a guy like that, we can all do a lot better.”
Smith started all 16 games as a rookie for the Jets in 2013, but things ultimately didn’t turn out well for him there, and that’s why he’s now a backup. But he’s only 26 years old and may be a starter again some day. He hopes that when that day comes, he can play like Manning.