It’s not that Joe Namath thinks Geno Smith’s a bad player.
He just thinks the Jets didn’t need to draft him in the second round.
“No, I don’t think they needed a quarterback,” Namath said, via Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News. “They needed the other positions filled. Possibly offensive line. They got some defensive line. The safeties are still questionable. The outside linebackers are still questionable.”
There are many things about the Jets which could be described that way.
Namath blamed the recent poor play of quarterback Mark Sanchez to “distractions” — which I suppose, by extension, means they just added another. But Namath generally supported the incumbent starter, leaning on his early record as evidence he can play sufficiently well to start somewhere if not in New York.
“I am pulling for him,” Namath said of Sanchez. “I know that he can do better than he’s done. And we saw him lead a team to two AFC championship games, right? I also know what it’s like not to necessarily have the weapons you’d like to have, not to necessarily have the time you’d like to accomplish. . . .
“I know it’s a team game and I know Sanchez is going to play better. I promise you you’ll see a different guy [this year]. I believe you’ll see a different guy. Mark’s not a puppy anymore. He’s gone through some things, growing process. As far as Sanchez goes, even if he’s not with the Jets, he’s going to play as long as he wants to. He’s that good. As long as he wants to, he’s going to be in the NFL.”
Unless Sanchez can put the distractions behind him this year, he’s likely to get a chance to find that new address.