Geno Smith Has to Show More in Preseason to Legitimately Earn Starting Nod

New York Jets rookie quarterback Geno Smith has completed 55 percent of his passes in team drills so far this preseason, according to Seth Walder of the New York Daily News.

Fifty-five percent. 

That's without contact—just run-of-the-mill team drills.

Not only that, new Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said Smith's play has "dipped" since the start of camp, per the report. So Smith is apparently going backward.

I know most Jets fans would like nothing more than to never see Mark Sanchez's face again, but Smith isn't exactly doing a whole lot to take the job from Sanchez, either.

Heading into the Jets' preseason opener against the Detroit Lions on Friday, Sanchez has declared that he has "earned the right" to start the game, per the report.

The thing is, Sanchez may be right.

Unfortunately for Jets fans, Sanchez hasn't exactly been that inspiring in camp, either.

Jets fans shouldn't be clamoring for Smith to start no matter what. Throwing an unprepared rookie to the wolves (or the Lions) is only asking for disaster. In fact, if Smith doesn't make significant progress in the later stages of the preseason, he shouldn't start over Sanchez because he will probably perform worse than the veteran. (And yes, it is possible for Smith to perform worse than Sanchez did last season.)

Jets fans should be hoping Smith takes the starting spot from Sanchez instead of simply winning the job by process of elimination.

Smith may be a talented player, but all too often, we've seen a struggling franchise throw up a prayer in the form of a rookie quarterback only to see it blow up in its face while damaging said quarterback's development and confidence in the process. There are some exceptions to the rule, and the quarterback class of 2012 is a prime example, but Smith is no Andrew Luck, and he is no Robert Griffin III. 

If Smith can't naturally and convincingly take the job from Sanchez this preseason, he shouldn't start in Week 1. Period. By doing that, you are potentially ruining a young player's psyche early in exchange for a mere glimmer of hope. If Smith can't legitimately take the job, you develop him throughout the course of the season until he is ready. You don't rush him.

Jets fans may not like that line of thinking, but stinking up the field for a few weeks or even another 16 weeks is worth it if it helps you cultivate a franchise quarterback behind closed doors.

Rebuilding stages—and this is a rebuilding stage for the Jets—rarely take a few weeks. It can take a year, two years, sometimes a few years for a vision to successfully come together. That is just the nature of the business in the highly competitive world of professional sports. 

So, instead of hoping for a miracle after a disastrous 6-10 campaign, Jets fans should be simply hoping for progress. That includes the progress of Smith, who hasn't shown much so far—but maybe he will down the road.

One thing's for sure: The Geno Smith I see now is not ready for the spotlight. He either needs to kick it into high gear quickly or be prepared to sit on the bench until he's ready. If he's not ready, the Jets will be doing him and themselves a favor by waiting until he is.