Geno Smith takes a step forward Saturday in Giants backup QB battle

Geno Smith was underwhelming http://www.arimtex.com/don-larsen-jersey-c-1_26.html through the first week of training camp. He hesitated on some throws, misfired on others and appeared to be overthinking his reads. Neither Smith nor Josh Johnson had asserted himself in the competition to be Eli Manning’s backup.
But Saturday was different.
Smith was decisive for most of the Giants’ two-hour practice heavy on situational football, including plenty of red zone work. And while coach Ben McAdoo resisted characterizing Smith’s entire practice that way, he did feel Smith had taken a meaningful step on Saturday.
“I did. He definitely is very accurate with the football,” McAdoo said. “I think he’s still learning. This is one of the tougher days that we have mentally. When you have a third-down period and four periods down in the red zone, things happen fast.”
Granted, this is one practice. It’s just that the idea of Smith, 26, being one Manning injury away from starting for the Giants was nothing http://www.firestormkennel.com/deandre-hopkins-jersey-c-1_2.html short of unthinkable five months ago. He was a free agent coming off ACL surgery, on top of concerns about chemistry with teammates while with the Jets, with a 28-to-36 career touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Smith, however, looks healthy. He is saying all the right things. And on Saturday, while working as the Giants’ No. 2 QB in a daily rotation with Johnson that McAdoo has arranged, Smith was delivering the ball on the money, intensely conscious that turnovers could do him in again.
The ex-Jet hit tight ends Evan Engram and Matt LaCosse for touchdowns, fired two other strikes to receiver Darius Powe and tight end Will Tye, and zipped an impressive spiral up the hash marks on a vertical route to Jerell Adams in a drill closer to midfield.
“First thing is taking care of the ball, which is something I have emphasized for a long time,” Smith said Wednesday of his focus early in camp. “Also just picking up the offense … Overall, I think I can be better. My timing and my Keenan Robinson Womens Jersey rhythm are slowly coming, but it will get better.”
They got noticeably better on Saturday. Most of Smith’s incompletions actually were drops on good throws.