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Ryan insists Jets don’t have QB controversy

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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets do not have a quarterback controversy. Well, not yet, anyway.

Coach Rex Ryan threw all his support behind Geno Smith on Tuesday, one day after the second-year quarterback threw two costly interceptions and oversaw an offense that continually sputtered in the red zone during the Jets’ 27-19 loss to the Chicago Bears.

“Offensively, I think we’re moving the ball well and he’s making throws,” Ryan said during a conference call. “I think he’s a mentally tough guy and he’s poised.

“Hey, look, guys make mistakes, and it’s going to happen even to the most experienced quarterbacks. I truly believe that. He’s a mentally tough guy.”

But how long can Ryan, who likely needs to at least contend for a playoff spot in order to come back for his seventh season with the Jets in 2015, maintain his faith in Smith, who made the type of mistakes Monday that are usually committed by rookie quarterbacks?

Smith’s first interception was right into the hands of Bears safety Ryan Mundy, who returned it 45 yards for a touchdown that put the Jets into a 7-0 hole less than a minute into the game. His second pick was thrown into double coverage in the end zone, where cornerback Kyle Fuller pulled it down to preserve the Bears’ 24-13 lead in the third quarter.

The second pick seemed to particularly disgust Ryan, who gave Smith the type of glare he saved for Mark Sanchez during the erstwhile starter’s turnover-prone 2011 and 20123 seasons.

“We wish we would’ve had that one back; wish he just (threw it in the) dirt in that situation,” Ryan said, referring to Mundy’s interception. “And then the other pick, it was one that he’s trying to give a jump ball opportunity up there, but at that point in the game, you don’t need to do that. Just take what you have or run it or get rid of it.”

Ryan said Monday he would never say never about going to backup quarterback Michael Vick, because he learned his lesson about making declarative statements in the New York media market. However, he made it clear Tuesday that he is not pondering a switch.

“I think everybody’s behind Geno,” Ryan said. “He’s our quarterback, and our football team believes in him, so that’s it.”

Ryan better hope so.

REPORT CARD VS. BEARS

PASSING OFFENSE: F — Rex Ryan spin aside, this was a giant step back for QB Geno Smith, one that is likely to start the Michael Vick countdown. Smith’s two interceptions were crushers, the type of ill-advised passes he made as a rookie. The first pick, on his first pass of the game, was telegraphed to S Ryan Mundy, who returned it 45 yards for a touchdown. Smith’s second interception — as the Jets drove for a touchdown that would have closed the gap to 24-20 in the third quarter — was almost as damaging. A pressured Smith panicked and lofted an ill-advised throw into the end zone, where the ball was picked off by CB Kyle Fuller. Smith was lucky that the butterfingered Bears dropped another handful of potential interceptions. To be fair to Smith, he didn’t have anywhere close to a full complement of weapons — WR Eric Decker was inexplicably cleared to play yet exited after one quarter due to a recurrence of his right hamstring woes — but this was a bad, bad game. WR Jeremy Kerley (seven catches for 91 yards, one touchdown) slid into his old top-wideout-by-default role. It is not good when RB Chris Ivory (four catches for 52 yards) is the second-best receiver. Ivory entered Monday with six catches for 45 yards in his first 41 NFL games.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B — The running back by committee shouldn’t be a committee anymore. Ivory (10 carries for 44 yards) continues to run with a fury and an explosiveness that Chris Johnson (10 carries for 34 yards) lacks. But why was Bilal Powell (two carries for 13 yards, two catches for 6 yards) on the field for the final, desperate series instead of Ivory, a suddenly decent-looking pass-catching back who possesses the ability to both wear down defenses and bust through for a long touchdown? Ryan said the injury-prone Ivory, who seemed to be warming up with five carries for 32 yards in the second half, wasn’t hurt but offered no other explanation for his absence. If Ivory wasn’t hurt, then it was a terribly irrational decision by Ryan and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg to keep Ivory on the bench.

PASS DEFENSE: F — It could have been worse, which seems to be the running mantra for the Jets’ secondary this season. Bears Pro Bowl WR Brandon Marshall didn’t do much damage; he aggravated an ankle injury in the second quarter and finished with one catch for 6 yards, but emerging No. 1 Alshon Jeffery carved up the Jets to the tune of eight catches for 105 yards. Those numbers don’t indicate how easily Jeffery got open against the Jets’ piecemeal cornerback corps. More alarming was how easily TE Martellus Bennett (five catches for 54 yards and two touchdowns) got open — shades of last year, when the Jets were eaten up by tight ends such as Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski. The Jets offered no resistance in the first drive of the second half, when Bears QB Jay Cutler was 5-for-5 for 83 yards on a six-play touchdown drive. Also, LB Demario Davis and CB Antonio Allen each dropped seemingly sure interceptions. Get well soon, CB Dee Milliner.

RUSH DEFENSE: B-minus — The numbers look typically dominant. The Bears had just 60 yards rushing on 21 carries, including 33 yards on 13 carries for four-time 1,000-yard rusher Matt Forte, but the Jets bent at the time they needed to stand firm. Forte had four carries for 21 yards on the Bears’ final drive, which ended with a 45-yard field goal by K Robbie Gould that put the Bears up 27-19.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C-minus — Nick Folk continued his Pro Bowl march by nailing all four field-goal attempts. He is perfect in seven kicks this season. However, PR Jalen Saunders fumbled his first return, which led to a Bears touchdown, and KR Saalim Hakim was twice tackled before the 20-yard line after taking back kickoffs that sailed into the end zone. P Ryan Quigley (48.3 average on three punts) had another solid game.

COACHING: F — This is two consecutive duds for Rex Ryan & Co. The Jets got off to bad starts in both the first and second half Monday, which is no way to win ballgames. And while New York committed just six penalties, down from 18 total in the first two games, DE Sheldon Richardson’s roughing-the-passer penalty on the Bears’ second touchdown only exacerbated the 14-0 hole the Jets already faced. Whatever halftime adjustments the Jets made weren’t good enough: The Bears opened the third quarter by marching 80 yards in six effortless plays to regain their two-score advantage. Mornhinweg continues to do his best to join Paul Hackett and Tony Sparano in the Jets’ offensive coordinator Hall of Shame. With Ivory furiously churning out yardage, what was Mornhinweg thinking when he dialed up a designed run for Smith on third-and-goal from the 2-yard line in the third quarter? Smith lost 2 yards, and the Jets had to settle for another field goal.

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