A statistical snapshot of Jets QB Geno Smith that will surprise you

10:04 AM ET

A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:

Geno Smith has played better than you might think — as long as he has had one of his top receivers available. Ray Carlin/USA TODAY Sports

1. Life on the Geno Coaster: The most compelling “what-if?” question surrounding Geno Smith goes something like this: What if he had better receivers in his first two seasons? It’s worth examining amid the Ryan Fitzpatrick mess because there may come a point over the next few weeks when the front office will have to ask itself a variation of the same question: Can Smith raise his game if he’s throwing to quality wide receivers Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall?

Smith was a below-average quarterback in 2013 and 2014, but he was surrounded in ’13 by one of the worst receiving corps in recent memory. The leading receiver was Jeremy Kerley, whose running mates included immortals such as David Nelson, Kellen Winslow Jr. and Clyde Gates, all of whom are out of the league. Things were better when Decker arrived in ’14, but it still was a thin group.

It’s an age-old debate: Do receivers make the quarterback or vice versa? There’s no definitive way to answer it, but it’s safe to assume Smith would be better with Decker and Marshall. How much better? Hard to say. He never got the chance last season because of the IK Enemkpali incident. The folks at ESPN Stats & Information provided this snapshot, showing how Smith performed with Decker and/or Kerley on the field compared to when they weren’t:

Smith With/Without Decker & KerleySTATSEITHER ONBOTH OFFAttempts622188Total QBR52.314.8Comp. pct.60.547.9

The numbers show Smith played at an acceptable level when at least one of the team’s top two receivers was in the game. Let’s remember this about Kerley: He’s not a starting-caliber receiver, but he was thrust into the role on a talent-poor roster. Marshall is a lot better than Kerley, and Chan Gailey is an upgrade over Marty Mornhinweg as a coordinator. Does this mean Smith is ready for a huge leap? Clearly, the Jets have their doubts. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be still trying to re-sign Fitzpatrick. Still, it’s food for thought.

2. Tough crowd: The Jets conducted their annual Town Hall last …

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