Pages Menu
TwitterFacebooklogin
Categories Menu

Posted by on Dec 27, 2014 in Blog | 1 comment

The National Football League’s Toughest Player

 

geno-smith-ny-jets

 

The NFL’s toughest player isn’t who you might think.  This weekend, as he starts his final game of what’s been a nightmare season, my vote goes to the bruised, battered, and too-often beaten quarterback of the hapless New York Jets — Geno Smith.

 

That’s right.  The quarterback with one of the worst passer ratings in the league is my pick as the game’s toughest player.

Here’s why.

“Football tough” might not mean what you’re thinking.  I choose to define tough not just in physical terms, but also mental.  Ask any pro athlete and they’ll tell you resiliency is even more vital to success than the size of one’s biceps.  Think of it another way.  There are plenty of bigger, stronger, faster athletes who don’t have quite what it takes to make it in the pros.  Players cut long ago might have seemed tougher than their counterparts.  But they weren’t.  Real toughness gets measured when things go badly when challenges are the most difficult.

Few teams have faced as many challenges this season as the Jets.  They’re 3-12 and likely headed for a complete off-season overhaul.  Heads will roll.  Jobs will be lost.  One expects Smith might be gone from the team, as well.

Yet, earlier this week, Smith shocked everyone in New York by coming out and saying he expects to be the Jets starting quarterback “for a very long time.”  He doesn’t intend to go anywhere, except to off-season team meetings, and then training came next season.  That’s the spirit.  Most quarterbacks in his no-win situation would have abandoned the game plan a long time when the fans were raining down a bombardment of criticism and his name was vilified when the name Geno Smith was a laughingstock.

There were occasions when Smith cost me thousands of dollars in losing wagers this season.  One late-game interception, in particular, cost me $2,200.  He’s made some horrifically bad throws.  Despite his optimism, Smith actually might not have much of a future either with the Jets or anywhere in the pros.  Who would want him?  He’s not just damaged goods.  He’s a spoiled vegetable.

Smith’s many mistakes and poor play this season have revealed a different portrait than we’re used to seeing.  That’s because when a quarterback performs this badly, he’s usually benched.  End of story.  Inexplicably, Smith continues to start games and take all the snaps for the Jets’ offense.  He’ll even start today’s finale in Miami.  After all, he’s been through, here’s a player eager to return to the field and start the next game.  Even after a bad interception or a humiliating loss, Smith keeps on trying.  You’ve got to give him credit for that.

Here’s a player who’s been thrown to the wolves every single week.  Mercilessly.  Rex Ryan, who’s very likely coaching his last game with the Jets on Sunday, must be some kind of sadomasochist to wheel out a gimpy Smith every week and subject him to such a barrage of abuse from the football world.  Instead of inserting either of the two backups — Michael Vick or Matt Simms — Ryan continues to death march Smith out onto the field every week, knowing he’s basically lining up in front of a firing squad.  Everyone’s taking aim at him, including NFL defenses, the vicious New York press, ESPN talking heads, Fantasy Football freaks, and the Jets fans who aren’t particularly what you’d call an understanding bunch.  Yet, Smith doesn’t complain.  Never.  Not once.  He buckles his chip strap and keeps on playing.  And he’s now even saying he expects to be the main man on the New York offense “for a very long time.”

Wow.  That’s gutsy.  Most athletes given these same circumstances would have wanted to get out of Gotham and be traded.  Not Smith.

For the 20 teams playing their final game of the season today, most players will leave the field with a whimper.  Here’s to Geno Smith, hoping he ends this season with a bang.

I have no idea if Smith will ever prove to be a good starting quarterback.  But he sure is determined to keep on trying and find out.  To me, that makes him not only tough, but someone to admire.

1 Comment

  1. I think Geno read your blog before the game…

Post a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

css.php