Geno Smith In, Mark Sanchez Out

Geno Smith is in. Mark Sanchez is out.

The New York Jets announced today that they will be starting Geno Smith during the season opener this weekend against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Head Coach Rex Ryan said in an interview this morning: “We’re going to go with Geno Smith as our quarterback and we are excited about that.”

It’s unclear if Sanchez has lost the starting job altogether. The New York Jets QB, who has been the starter since 2009, injured his shoulder last week and has been ruled out of Sunday’s game.

Ryan said: “It’s unfortunate that Mark was injured, obviously, but he is working extremely hard to get back… But he’s just not ready right now. It’s similar to last week. We knew he wasn’t ready then. He’s not ready now and we’ll see what the future holds as we move forward.”

Smith also suffered an injury during the pre-season but the rookie QB was able to tough it out and is ready to go for week 1. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said that Smith did a great job during the pre-season and that he’s excited to see him on the field.

Mornhinweg said: “I think his confidence physically is at a high level right now… He came out the other day and looked like he was 100 percent.”

Do you think Mark Sanchez has found a permanent spot on the bench? Ladainian Tomlinson thinks that Sanchez’ days as a starting QB are over.