BY NICK ST. DENIS
We've written plenty about how bad New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith has been of late. That's because there's been plenty to write.
Smith's teammates, however, have come to his defense.
"He’s only struggling because we’re not helping him out," guard Willie Colon said Monday, via NewYorkJets.com. "That’s the bottom line. When you look at the tape, it’s a guy getting beat here, a back missing a protection, a receiver not running the right route, so it’s not him individually making these bad choices."
Smith has been a turnover machine and seems to be allergic to the end zone, largely due to his lack of ability to read defenses and make quick decision.
But Colon isn't wrong. The rookie signal-caller is regularly under duress thanks to shoddy pass blocking, and the receiver position has been a turnstile of mediocre talent.
Colon, as in an individual, has been pretty good in pass protection, but the usually-stout tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and center Nick Mangold haven't lived up to their respectable reputations.
Tackle Austin Howard and rookie Brian Winters, meanwhile, have been about what we've come to expect: Howard is a run-of-the-mill caliber lineman, and Winters is an in-over-his-head rookie.
Despite his struggles, the first-year quarterback Smith was given the nod to start this coming Sunday against the Oakland Raiders despite getting benched at halftime after yet another unimpressive showing in the first half in a loss to the Miami Dolphins.
"I mean, yeah, there’s some things he probably could have back,"
Colon said, "but looking at the whole big picture, not everybody is
playing at a high level."
