The Jets might have to scale back the offense for Geno Smith. (Getty Images)
Through three games this season, Geno Smith has shown potential, but he's also looked very much like a second-year quarterback struggling to find consistency from one week to the next, and sometimes one play to the next. Monday's Bears-Jets get-together was a microcosm of that, and it's why offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg hinted this week that he'll scale back the offense because he "put too much on (Smith's) plate."
That should also put to rest any speculation that backup Michael Vick could see more playing time.
"Oh, no, we're right in the middle of developing a young quarterback," Mornhinweg said Thursday, via ESPN.com. "We're going to go through some ups and downs now, where you go through a little dip. You have to motor through. You have to be tough, mentally.
"We need to develop Geno. Listen, Geno is going to be just fine. ... To be great, in many cases, you have to go through some failures -- and sometimes it's on a Monday night."
Smith threw a pick-six on the Jets' first possession and another interception led to a Bears field goal. New York lost 27-19. Through three games, he ranks 30th in Football Outsiders' QB efficiency metric, ahead of only Jake Locker, Matt Cassel, Ryan Tannehill, Josh McCown and Chad Henne.
Still, Smith has shown improvement from his rookie season. His completion percentage is up from 55.8 to 63.1 and his TD-to-INT ratio has gone from 0.58 to 0.75. Ideally, it would be north of 1.0, but again, this is a process.
"We're right in the middle of that process," Mornhinweg said. "Sometimes you have to go through some bad stuff to be great. ... I just relied a little too much on (Smith). There will be a time, hopefully quickly, where we can do that. But that game, looking back on it, I thought I put a little too much on his plate and I could've helped him in a couple of different ways."
So we wait. Meanwhile, Smith has Mornhinweg's full support.
"I have great confidence in Geno," he said. "Maybe I had too much confidence last week."
NFL Hot News
Bears WR Brandon Marshall misses another practice Thursday
Brandon Marshall missed practice again Thursday with an ankle issue. Marshall suffered the injury in Week 1 but managed to play through it for two consecutive weeks. In Week 2, he caught three touchdown passes, but in Week 3, Marshall aggravated the injury and managed just one catch for 6 yards. He will likely be listed as questionable on the Bears' final injury report tomorrow.
This doesn't sound good for Marshall at all. He had to leave the Bears' Week 3 game for several minutes after reinjuring the ankle, and he didn't seem able to run or cut well after he returned. That showed up in his stat line. With Alshon Jeffery seemingly back at 100 percent, don't be surprised if the Bears hold Marshall out of Week 4. At this point, fantasy owners should pencil Marshall out of their starting lineups and have a backup option ready. If Marshall is unable to go against the Packers, Jeffery's value would get a slight bump up this week.
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