Geno Smith Impressions

Now this is more so an analysis combining last year with the couple of preseason games we've seen thus far.

He seems to be making strides in the way he's attacking the defense. As far as the Bengals game goes:

- Second team or not, Geno used his eyes to try to manipulate the defense, something we never really saw from him last year. The ability to look right and throw left is a very underrated skill in the NFL and he started to do this against the Bengals even if he knew where he was going to attack the defense based on pre-snap reads. I don't want to make this a Geno vs. Sanchez thread but Sanchez only ever looked at one side of the defense. Even if you flash one way it can help open up the entire field because it doesn't allow roaming safeties to break on timing routes as easily if they don't know what side of the defense is going to be attacked the split second the ball is snapped.

- He looked a lot more calm in the pocket. One of his biggest problems was panicking when he had good protection and start to shuffle his feet when there were no rushers around him. This put him out of position in terms of footwork, to throw the ball if a receiver did break open. He turned into a slinger in terms of the fact that he wasn't stepping into his throws and was relying on arm strength to wing it in there. This helps the accuracy of his passes to be on the spot as stepping towards your target drastically improves a quarterbacks accuracy.

- To piggyback on that he actually seemed as though he could feel the pressure whereas last year he had absolutely no idea if there were pass rushers close or not. This is obviously evident when he broke free for the 9 yard run, and he showcased some of this strength he's gained in the offseason that has been raved about. The ability to extend plays by shaking off arm tackles is important for quarterbacks that don't stand in the pocket like statues because of lightning quick releases like Peyton. He doesn't have one so breaking arm tackles is going to help him a lot. Look at Roethlisberger and how he's simply made a living doing it. He can't compare because he's not nearly as big, but shrugging diving rushers even a couple times a game is an important attribute to have.

In terms of overall and last season:

- The ability to pickup chunk yardage over the middle of the field is vastly overlooked by many people. Say what you want about his footwork and his slow release last season, but the guy has an absolute cannon and fires the ball to receivers. This is where body catching receivers like Stephen Hill are going to kill him because the ball bounces off shoulder pads when they try to pin it. Take is as my way to knock Hill I suppose. It's just very rare to see a guy have the ability to throw in the 12-20 yard range efficiently. This will help him loosen up the underneath stuff in the future especially with killers underneath like Kerley and this year Chris Johnson.

- It's very easy for a rookie quarterback to come in and check the ball down constantly. Smith doesn't look to do that and it can be a knock if he doesn't know that the check downs are available, but he seems to have a better understanding through the preseason of where these guys are going to be. If the defense sags off on the early downs and gives you a 6 yard pass to Chris Johnson early, get him the ball right away. It kills cover 2 defenses very effectively if they're going to drop the middle linebacker deep to cover the seams and deep crosses.

- The coaching staff didn't hold back in throwing everything at him in his first year. It hurts in the short term because he had so much to absorb in a short period of time last year. In the long term it will help a young quarterback like Smith because he wasn't handcuffed like Sanchez. They took the approach of here's everything lets see if you can go out and execute. At times he did and of course at times he didn't. But the fact of the matter is that after a year in the system he seems to have a much better command of the plays and where receivers are going to be on every single play. This is why it's much easier for him to look left and throw right or vice versa because there are no longer question marks as to what the routes are going to be on the opposite side of the field.


Of course we won't know how Geno is going to play in the regular season and he could completely fall on his face again. I doubt it though. The understanding of the playbook along with his ability to gain timing with the core of receivers allows him to be consistent because there's no more feeling out for where receivers are going to be and when. He'll understand the different speeds of receivers and how they are in and out of their breaks. With a laser of an arm, there's no doubt that he can put the ball on the spot to give receivers a chance to make a play.

These are just some overall feelings on the guy and how we'll see a big jump in his confidence in general because there's no more worrying about the playbook.

 

The Stephen Hill drop, and of course I won't place the blame on him completely because he got wrecked. If I remember correctly he looked health then progressed back across the field to find Hill slanting across the middle.

The Chris Johnson five yard loss pass was an interesting play because it seemed as though it was a sort of designed screen, but it may have been an immediate check down based on what the coverage gave him. We don't know the play call, but either way he saw his guy in space and got him the ball immediately. He seems to be working through progressions a lot easier in general and using his eyes to persuade the defense or at the very least keep them honest.

On the bomb to David Nelson you also can see his improved footwork. He missed him and had him open, and albeit playaction his footwork was very good in terms of pointing towards where he wanted to throw.

 

It's certainly some wishful thinking but it highlights what can be his strengths as a pro quarterback and what is encouraging to see a young guy do well. Of course he can still flop and be out of the league in two years but that's really the story of any young quarterback. My point was to show that he has potential while a lot of people want to dismiss him and throw him on the trash heap because he didn't have a Russell Wilson rookie year.

It's very true that he has yet to display the important ability to throw a guy open, at least outside the numbers in my eyes. He has no problem throwing the slants and in routes with guys draped all over the receivers. The problem is throwing the ball before the receiver makes his break on deep outs and timing routes in general. Again I highlight the fact that this comes with knowing the system and knowing the players in the system and how long it takes them to get to a spot.

There are a couple of approaches to whether he'll be able to do it or not. He can't do it despite the fact that Clyde Gates & Stephen Hill were his number one and two targets at one point during the season. This point being of course that it doesn't matter who he's throwing to, he'll never be able to do it. Or he will be able to do it as he works with better route runners and receivers who can catch the ball. This remains to be seen because while we don't have a top notch receiving core we are vastly improved and will actually feature starting calibre NFL players at at least three spots when Hill isn't on the field.