The Jets had a pair of spirited, sometimes uber physical practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at their Florham Park training facility. And Geno Smith liked a lot of what he saw.
“Shoot, I thought we had a really good, competitive two days,” the Jets quarterback said after Wednesday’s second practice against Tampa Bay. “I thought there were a lot of great plays out there that were made, and I think there were also some plays we can learn from.”
The learning curve should be trending upward soon, because with no practice Thursday, the next stop is the Jets’ first preseason game, at home against the Bucs on Friday night. And Smith can’t wait, offering up a word picture reminiscent of an accompaniment to John Facenda on an old NFL Films Music disc.
“Just to get out there and just play ball,” he said of the thrill of the opportunity ahead. “Feel the real live game atmosphere, being in the huddle with my guys, having the clock run down, being in front of the fans back in MetLife. Just all the things of real football. Not two-hand touch or thud, but just to feel the game again.”
Head coach Aaron Glenn left no question that Smith and the Jets’ first units would see action in the summer opener: “Everybody’s playing,” he declared Tuesday.
Why after not seeing starters logging many if any preseason snaps the previous four seasons is this year different? Because AG says that’s the way he wants it to be.
“You have two new systems that are going in and I think it’s important for our guys to play,” Glenn said. “Now there’s science behind this also, as far as having joint practices and trying to get the guys, at least throughout the preseason, 25 to 30 reps, and I’m talking about all three games. I don’t know how I’ll divvy that up.”