Geno Smith's chances of starting for the New York Jets this season directly are connected to how quickly he can pick up a pro offense.
Smith believes he's off to a fine start as he transitions from a spread offense at West Virginia to Marty Mornhinweg's West Coast offense in New York.
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"I've already made a giant leap," Smith told NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano on Monday from the NFL Rookie Symposium in Aurora, Ohio. "Coming from a spread system where the biggest transition for me is going to be the footwork. It's not as if I can't do it, it's the fact that I haven't done it enough. The good amount of reps that I got in rookie camp, minicamp, OTAs has helped me make that leap and transition, and make giant strides."
"I have an opportunity to fight for a starting job in a great place right now, so I look forward to it."
Siciliano asked Smith if his time off before the start of training camp would include a trip to California, a reference to Mark Sanchez's Jets West camp.
"We'll see," he replied.
Smith said during minicamp that Sanchez hadn't "officially extended the hand to me, but I'm pretty sure there's no problem there." Smith's open-ended response to Siciliano makes us wonder if he's still waiting for that invite.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.