Geno Smith Rips Rex Ryan for Saying He Didn't Want Him to Be His QB with Jets

Geno Smith couldn't lead the New York Giants to a victory against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, but he had words for former coach Rex Ryan afterward.

"I did see one of my ex-coaches say he didn't want me to be his quarterback," Smith said following the Giants' 24-17 loss, per Bob Glauber of Newsday. "That really upset me. I saved his job in 2013. We fought our ass for him both years. For him to say that shows how much of a coward he is."

Ryan coached Smith with the New York Jets but is now an ESPN analyst. He didn't hold back when discussing his former quarterback:

New York's switch from Eli Manning—who started 210 straight regular-season games for the franchise and won two Super Bowl rings—to Smith turned heads even before Sunday's loss. Ryan didn't seem to understand the move despite his previous experience with Smith.

"Good for Geno, but I don't understand it," Ryan said, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. "Eli Manning has been a hell of a player in this league a long-ass time. He's one of the most durable guys in the history of the sport and started a million games in a row. He's why you got all those Super Bowl rings. For him to go out like this is odd. It's bizarre."

Smith was a solid but unspectacular 21-of-34 for 212 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions against the Raiders.

Ryan's Jets selected him in the second round of the 2013 draft. He appeared in 30 games over his first two seasons, throwing 25 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. With Smith failing to play the role of franchise quarterback, the Jets went 4-12 in 2014—Ryan's final year with the team.

The back-and-forth between Ryan and Smith is yet another storyline in a 2017 campaign that has gone off the rails for the Giants.

At 2-10, they're playing without injured wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall and are trying to win with Smith under center. Head coach Ben McAdoo may not be in his position much longer, either, although executive vice president Steve Tisch simply said "no comment" when asked about the coach's status, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com.

Smith figures to have a chance to build on Sunday's performance against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14.