For the second year in a row, Jets quarterback Geno Smith was ranked dead last among regular starters in ESPN's quarterback tier series.
His thoughts?
"I laughed at it," Smith told reporters Wednesday, via The New York Post. "It's hilarious. It is."
What about last year?
"It was hilarious last year too."
As he starts a make-or-break training camp, Smith seems to have the right idea. Unless Todd Bowles was the anonymous coach taking a club to Smith's reputation on ESPN.com, there's really nothing he has to worry about. After he fell out of the first round everyone -- including Smith -- was made aware of the deficiencies in his game and what must improve in order for him to be successful.
Smith has taken his lumps and, over a tiny sample size toward the end of last season, actually began to play pretty well.
If nothing else, Smith has no real expectations to live up to, which could wind up being an advantage. He is still, at his core, the quarterback of a run-first team that will try and control the clock and win by playing good defense. Anything better than that would end up being icing on the cake.
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