Geno Smith targets Jets’ first 2-0 start in 11 years
After a turnover-free opening win over Tennessee, the New York quarterback is preparing to face Green Bay with an unusual memory aid from his school art classes.
Geno Smith will lead the New York Jets into their meeting with the Green Bay Packers seeking the club’s first 2-0 start in 11 years, according to Yahoo Sports.
Smith helped the Jets defeat the Tennessee Titans 23-10 in Week 1, completing 19 of 24 passes for 215 yards without a turnover. It was his first game with the Jets after playing in his third offensive system and for his third team in three years.
The quarterback attributes part of his ability to recall game details to observational drawing classes at a middle-school visual arts magnet school. Smith said students were required to study and reproduce a life-sized human skeleton from memory, an exercise he believes helped develop what he describes as a photographic memory.
Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich has independently characterised Smith’s recall in similar terms. The claim is presented as Smith’s and Reich’s assessment rather than a clinical finding.
Smith is expected to draw on memories of previous games against defensive schemes while facing Green Bay and first-year defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. The Jets will also rely on a supporting cast that Smith considers stronger than the one he had with the Las Vegas Raiders last season, when the team won its opener before finishing 3-14.
