Get ready for Broadway Geno.
The Jets pulled a stunner with the seventh pick of the second round of the NFL Draft last night, selecting West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith, and the new guy wasted no time honoring the legacy of Joe Namath.
"We're going to the playoffs next year," Smith said on NFL Network. He also said he is here to win the starting job.
Smith was viewed by many people as the best quarterback in this year's draft but he slid out of the first round Thursday night as America watched him sit in the green room not hearing his name called. He had to wait for the Jets' pick to come up at No. 39 overall last night to be chosen.
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March Sanchez
This is a bold move by new general manager John Idzik, who just got a face on his rebuilding project and it could spell the end of Mark Sanchez's time as a Jet.
Smith said he views himself as a franchise quarterback.
"I do believe so for a number of reasons," Smith said on a conference call with reporters. "The main thing is I'm going to come in to practice. I'm going to come in to work. I'm going to compete daily. I'm going to do my best to better my teammates in order for us to win Super Bowls."
JETS DRAFT SELECTIONS
Coach Rex Ryan may need a new tattoo with Smith's jersey on his wife.
The Jets are saying Sanchez will compete for the starting job, but it seems unlikely they will keep him around. He would carry a $17 million salary cap hit, but the team could designate Sanchez a post-June 1 cut to save on salary cap space. He would then count $12.3 million against the cap in 2013, less than he would if he is on the roster, and $4.7 million in 2014. The Jets would owe Sanchez at least $8.25 million, a check that would be tough for owner Woody Johnson to cut, but why keep him around if Smith is viewed as your future?
"What this means for Mark Sanchez is competition," Idzik said, staying evasive when pressed about how long Sanchez will remain a Jet. "Mark is open to that. We've had discussions about that. I think he buys into the fact that that helps him. It helps any player on our team and, as a result, it helps our team."
Smith, a 6-foot-2, 218 pounder, threw for 42 touchdowns and six interceptions for the Mountaineers last year. He posted back-to-back 4,000 yards seasons in college. He threw for 656 yards and eight touchdowns in a 70-63 victory over Baylor on Sept. 29. He has a strong arm and is quick (4.56 40-yard dash), but struggled in the second half of last season and has played poorly in cold-weather games. There are questions whether he was a product of the West Virginia system.
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