FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Frank Reich played with Jim Kelly and coached Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Andrew Luck and Matt Ryan during an NFL career that has spanned more than four decades.
So, he knows an outstanding quarterback when he sees one.
That's what made the New York Jets offensive coordinator's effusive praise of Geno Smith on Wednesday so noteworthy. If not a bit surprising.
“I am just so impressed by Geno,” Reich said before minicamp practice.
“I cannot express that enough. I know we haven’t played any games yet. We've got a long way to go. We've got a lot to prove and everybody’s got a lot to prove.
"But man, he is on point. His preparation is top notch. His football mind is elite."
The 64-year-old Reich certainly knows how that looks. And it has taken Smith just a few months to make a believer of his new coordinator.
“The way he’s communicating in the huddle, at the line of scrimmage, the way he communicates in the quarterback room," Reich said of Smith. "I’ve been around a lot of really smart and good quarterbacks. All I’m going to say is, we’re in good shape.”
Smith's long and winding NFL journey has returned him to the place where it started in 2013. He was the face of the franchise then, a second-round draft pick and a big-armed passer with unlimited potential. Inconsistency, injuries — including a broken jaw suffered from a punch by a teammate in a locker room dispute — and perhaps some immaturity derailed his first stint with the Jets, who moved on after the 2016 season.
Now 35, Smith was an unlikely offseason priority for New York, which wanted a seasoned veteran who could help Reich jumpstart its stagnant offense. The Jets traded a sixth-round pick in March to Las Vegas for Smith and a seventh-rounder, creating a reunion that even the two-time Pro Bowl pick couldn't have imagined.
“I’m in a good place,” Smith said after practice Tuesday, “and we just have to keep working and keep getting better every single day.”
The first day of minicamp practice offered a vivid reminder of what once was for the Jets with former head coach Rex Ryan, whose son Seth is the team's pass game coordinator, watching from the sideline in green and white gear in practice — and reconnecting briefly with Smith.
“It was so special, man,” a beaming Smith said. “Any time I get to talk to coach, it just brings back the nostalgia, man, all those games we fought together. Obviously, he was part of the staff that gave me my first opportunity in the NFL and I’m forever grateful for that. Any time I get to see coach, I’m excited."
Smith has acknowledged he has grown mentally since those rocky early days of his NFL career and learned a lot in subsequent spots, where he was a backup to players such as Eli Manning with the Giants, Rivers with the Chargers and Russell Wilson with the Seahawks.
Much like Reich, Smith's new Jets teammates can only rave about the quarterback's presence.
“From the first day that Geno came in, you could just feel the sense of confidence come into the offense,” left tackle Olu Fashanu said.
“Geno's special,” wide receiver Isaiah Williams added. “One of the biggest things that stood out to me when I first met him, he didn't try to be a leader. Like, a lot of guys try to come in and try to be leaders. He was just himself. He's a natural leader.”
Reich repeatedly used the word “impressive” while talking about Smith, who he said has the “it factor” for success: a combination of confidence and humility.
Many assume Smith is merely a placeholder at quarterback for the Jets, who are likely to search for their eventual next signal caller in next year's NFL draft. Whether this second stint in New York lasts just one season or a few more beyond, Smith has insisted he's focused on the present.
And he's using everything he has learned from his past to guide him — and the Jets.
“I think all of us are just, we’re always trying to be the best version of ourself,” Reich said. “But this league is about winning and that’s what we all came here to do. ... We want to put a winning product on the field and excellence in everything we do off the field. You put those two things together, I think everything will take care of itself.”
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