Brandon Marshall once again found himself defending teammate and Jets quarterback Geno Smith during an episode of Showtime's "Inside the NFL" on Tuesday.
Jets starter Ryan Fitzpatrick has at least one torn ligament in his thumb on his non-throwing hand, so Smith will likely have to take the reins even though he is dealing with a bruised shoulder. Even though Smith is battered, Marshall still has confidence in him.
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"When did I get here [with the Jets]?" Marshall said. "April? May? Since that day, I've been a fan of Geno Smith. I'm going to stick to that. I love him. I'm proud of the kid."
Former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason, who was also on the show, was quick to show his skepticism.
"The perception out there is that he can't do it," Esiason said. "I believe that that perception does have a tinge of reality attached to it, because I haven't seen it. I've seen some moments where he can throw the ball physically, but mentally, there are times where I just think he's clueless on the field."
Marshall cut in, saying, "Now I'm not just going to take this stance because I'm his teammate. But you take a kid who hasn't played all year and you throw him in that game, and look what he did."
Esiason then said that Smith's preseason altercation with IK Enemkpali, which resulted in the QB getting a broken jaw and Enemkpali being released, shows what teammates truly think of Smith.
"Can we give a kid, a young kid, a second chance?" said Marshall.
According to Esiason, Smith had already had his chances and screwed up earlier this year.
When Smith took over for Fitzpatrick against the Raiders, he threw for 265 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.