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Less than a week after watching his former backup Ryan Fitzpatrick thrive, Geno Smith was forced to reflect on the experience that has forced him on the Jets bench, possibly for good.
"I'm extremely [angry]," Smith, who is still recovering from a fractured jaw he suffered after being sucker punched, told Newsday. "But I have to keep my temper down. I can't exhibit that in the locker room, I can't exhibit that on a daily basis. I just feel for my family more because they enjoy seeing me out there."
"I don't regret anything," he added, via NJ.com. "I don't think I did anything wrong. You can't go back in time."
During the preseason, former teammate IK Enemkpali punched Smith, reportedly over a $600 dispute. Smith has since returned to practice but is expected to miss about three more weeks of action.
In his stead, the Jets have named Fitzpatrick the starter and rookie Bryce Petty his backup. Last week against the Browns Fitzpatrick completed 15 of 24 passes for 179 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He had a quarterback rating of 95.7 and led the Jets to a 31-10 home win.
"If I was playing bad and got benched, that's on me. But for something like that to happen ... " Smith said. "What can you do? You've just got to kind of weather the storm and move on from there."
Smith was asked whether he expects to reclaim his starting job when he gets cleared to play.
"I'm not trying to sit here and say I'm demanding certain things," Smith said. "I'm just working to get healthy. And then, you've got to see the rest."
What Smith did acknowledge was that the past few weeks have been hard on him emotionally. But he added that he's been getting his spirits raised from the locker room, especially from wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
Smith also said he's devoting his recovery time to losing weight and building muscle. He added that he's gone from 223 pounds to 215 over the past few weeks and that he's lost his muscle mass.
The Jets travel to Indianapolis Monday night to take on the 0-1 Colts. After that they'll host the Eagles at home and then head to Miami in Week 4. The team has a bye in Week 5, which is when Smith is scheduled to be cleared to play. Todd Bowles will likely use that off week to determine who he wants his starting quarterback to be for the remainder of the season.