BY NICK ST. DENIS
For the first seven weeks of the 2013 season, Geno Smith was up, down, a little more up, a little less down, and up some more. It wasn't a straight incline, but it was a progressive one.
But over the last month -- spanning four games -- the New York Jets' rookie signal-caller has been abysmal.
Smith capped off his month of October with a three-turnover debacle in a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and his decline continued to get steeper over the next month.
In November, Smith completed just 39.1 percent of his passes, throwing for zero touchdowns, five interceptions and losing two fumbles through three games. There was a bye sprinkled in there, where Smith was prevented from turning the ball over.
The 2013 second-round pick also hasn't used his legs the way he did earlier in the season, and he hasn't completed more than nine passes in a game since last month.
Smith still insists he can lead the Jets to the playoffs and beyond but acknowledged after the Jets' 19-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday that he's earning his starting job "daily."
After another dud of a game, Jets coach Rex Ryan wasn't as quick to anoint Smith the outright guy moving forward, though Gang Green doesn't have much choice but to stand by Smith through the season. There's a reason the Jets have yet to dangle the keys in front of Matt Simms.
And it can't all be pinned on Smith. The offensive line has been subpar, and the receivers appear be practicing drops throughout the week -- that is when they're healthy enough to practice. Ineptitude has been built into the Jets' offense the past few years, and Smith is just the latest in a long line of enablers.
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