Rex Ryan may have softened a bit over the years, but he can still bring the fire when he wants to.
That heat was aimed at Geno Smith on Wednesday, as the Jets coach torched his rookie quarterback after what he called Smith’s worst performance of training camp.
“It was brutal. It was Geno’s worst day,” Ryan told reporters. “The ankle is part of it. That’s way too many picks. He didn’t look comfortable today. It was a bad day. … We’ve seen guys have bad days, but this was a really bad day for Geno.
“Was I disappointed that he had a day like today? Absolutely. These days happen, but you don’t expect them to happen.”
Smith, who was knocked out of the Jets’ first preseason game with an ankle injury, struggled Wednesday while taking the majority of the first-team snaps (ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini had him at 10-for-21 with three interceptions). Ryan would not confirm that Smith will see the field when the team hosts Jacksonville on Saturday.
Smith played just 14 snaps last Friday in Detroit, but he completed six of seven passes for 49 yards. He is battling for the Jets’ starting spot with incumbent Mark Sanchez, who was 11-for-19 for 125 yards, a touchdown and an interceptions in the preseason opener.
