NFL Pre-Season: Tracking the Quarterback battles

New York Jets – Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith

Probably the most publicised quarterback battle throughout this pre-season has been and will continue to be that of the Jets; the shaky veteran vs the unproven rookie, Mark Sanchez vs Geno Smith.

Sanchez, coming off an embarrassing season last campaign, opened this year with a seriously stupid pick straight to the hands of Lions rookie defensive end Ziggy Ansah. To his credit, though, Sanchez regained his composure after that and actually had a solid outing. He finished the game with a respectable stat line of 10 of 13 for 125 yards and a touchdown on three series.

After being considered the favourite to win the job before training camp opened in July, Geno Smith is having a bit of a rough time of it lately. He really didn’t do enough to overtake Sanchez against the Lions, before leaving with an ankle injury.

Things got worse for Geno after the game. Reports have indicated that he has continued to struggle on his ankle, noticeably limping on the practice field and looking uncomfortable during his reps. His struggles culminated in what was his worst day of practice on Wednesday, as the rookie hit a rough patch throwing four interceptions. His own head coach, Rex Ryan, admitted as much in a post-practice press conference:

“It was brutal. It was Geno’s worst day, I think. And obviously, the ankle’s part of it, but … way too many picks and things. Did not look comfortable today,”

There is still a long way to go in this race, but if Geno is limited in tonight’s game against the Jaguars (and reports indicate that he might be), then that could hand Mark Sanchez the perfect opportunity to start to pull away as the Jets starting quarterback. Keep your eyes fixed firmly on these two over the next three weeks.