Geno Smith Stinks It Up as Jets Crash to Reality

TITANS 38
JETS 13 

So much for that great start. So much for exceeding expectation. So much for looking like the biggest surprise of the season.

For the New York Jets are who we thought they were: a pretty, pretty, pretty bad football team.

It showed in every which way, Sunday in Nashville as the Titans rolled over Geno Smith and the Jets 38-13.

It wasn't so much about how the Titans dominated this ball game, because they didn't; the story of this day was how Geno Smith gave Tennessee this football game with a cherry on top. Four turnovers by the Jets rookie quarterback doomed New York. Smith now leads the league in turnovers by a quarterback with 11.

Smith's ineptitude showed fairly quickly. On the second play of the game, Smith rolled to his left and found a wide open Alterraun Verner, who by the way wears Titans powder blue and red. Verner picked off the pass and set Tennessee up at the Jets 18 yard line. Five plays later, the Titans found themselves in the end zone when Jake Locker connected with tight end Delanie Walker for the score.

Smith's issues only got worse. He spent most of the day throwing into double and triple coverage, almost got sacked for two safeties, and couldn't protect the football in the most crucial of circumstances.

For example, with New York still in the game down 10-3, Smith decided to scramble for the first down on third and three. Instead of tucking the ball in and diving for the first down, Smith held the ball out like a loaf of bread and had it knocked out of his hands, only to have it recovered by Verner and the Titans.

The play was just an example of how Smith is not getting it. It's one thing when a rookie struggles to understand the speed and nuances of the game, but not tucking the ball away is something Smith should have been taught in high school. In short, this gaff was inexcusable.

Of course Tennessee turned it into points, as Locker hit Nate Washington from four yards out to make it 17-3 Titans, all but ending this game in the second quarter.

Tennessee would score 28 points on Jets turnovers, with one of the dumbest turnovers coming in the fourth quarter with New York down 24-6.

The Jets were backed up on their own goal-line, and feeling the pressure from defensive end Karl Klug, Smith, for whatever reason, tried to exchange the ball into his other hand by pulling the ball down, and moving it behind his back. The ball popped out of his mitts and into the hands of Klug, who recovered the loose ball in the end zone for the score to make it 31-6.

There are a lot of concerns for these 2013 Jets. They got a big pass the past few weeks because they played two bad teams in Buffalo and Tampa Bay, and a Patriots team that is beaten up physically. This team is entering the toughest part of its schedule, and with Smith giving the football away like Mark Sanchez it will get tougher and tougher for this team to win any games this season.

All of a sudden the Rex Ryan Job Security Clock is ticking once again.