Namath: Nothing outstanding about Geno Smith

Joe Namath says 'nothing to me is outstanding' about Geno Smith. (USATSI)

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Joe Namath is a harsh critic of his New York Jets and a harsh critic of quarterbacks. So you know he's got plenty to say about Geno Smith heading into the quarterback's second year.

Speaking with Peter Schwartz of WFAN.com, Namath called Geno "pretty good" but said "nothing to me is outstanding."

"I don't see anything outstanding about him. He's not an outstanding passer. He's not an outstanding runner. He's good, but nothing jumps out at me with intangibles that I'm not aware of because I'm not there on an everyday [basis]," Namath said. "I haven't seen anything really extra special from Geno, and that's not to be negative at all. The guy performed really darn well on a professional level against guys that were so much better than he's ever played against. The upside of Geno is going to be strong. The upside is grasping his offense versus the defenses he sees.

"Just looking at him physically, what's outstanding about his running ability? What's outstanding about his passing ability? Nothing to me is outstanding about it, but it's pretty good."

In reality, "pretty good" is a fair assessment of Smith through his first season. He wasn't outstanding as a rookie.

But who would be in that situation? Geno dealt with a high-pressure situation (starting for the Jets) and handled the scrutiny of stealing time from Mark Sanchez well. He didn't get much help at receiver or tight end, or even in the running game.

At times he made bad throws. But at other times he shone. It's far too early to make a concrete assessment on him as a future quarterback (although competing against Michael Vick won't help his immediate prospects), which is kind of what Namath did, just without the eloquence needed to avoid headlines and sound bytes pointing to his distaste for Geno.

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Browns TE Jordan Cameron 'was impossible to cover in the spring'



Kevin Jones of the Cleveland Browns' official website presented his list last week of the five players who benefited the most from the team's offseason practices. The man at the top of that list -- or at least presented that way online -- is tight end Jordan Cameron.Jones wrote that Cameron "was impossible to cover in the spring" and "has shown improved footwork and explosion in the open field once he has the football."



Cameron is absolutely critical to the Browns' offense this season. With Josh Gordon likely out for most if not all of 2014, Cameron will probably enter the season as Cleveland's de facto No. 1 receiver. But can he repeat or improve upon the 80-917-7 line he posted last year?Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has overseen some very good tight ends in his young coaching career -- Owen Daniels and Jordan Reed stand out. Cameron might be the best one he has ever coached, and Shanahan is going to have to figure out ways to get him open in the face of increased defensive attention. There's no doubt that Cameron will be a marked man by defensive coordinators, especially if Miles Austin can't stay healthy. Also, the Browns led the league with 681 pass attempts last year. They won't come anywhere close to that title in their new run-heavy scheme, so there will be substantially fewer passes in the air for Cameron to catch.You have to believe in Cameron's talent and athleticism. But I fear a regression of sorts after his breakout season. He is currently being drafted in the fifth round on average, but I'd rather wait and take my chances with someone such as Dennis Pitta, Greg Olsen, or Zach Ertz a handful of rounds later.