MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- If only Geno Smith could play every game in his hometown, the New York Jets might actually have something worth keeping at quarterback.
Last season, Smith, who went to Miramar High in Miramar, Florida, and grew up within minutes of Sun Life Stadium, completed 17 of 27 passes for 190 yards (no interceptions) in a season-ending 20-7 win against the Dolphins. His QB Rating was 90.7, his best effort of his rookie season.
On Sunday, the Jets again closed their playoff-less season with a 37-24 win against the Dolphins, and Smith was spectacular this time. He completed 20 of 25 passes for a career-high 358 yards and three touchdowns. He was not intercepted, and his QBR was a career-best 158.3, which is a perfect passing rating.
Smith, who was ridiculed a couple of weeks ago for saying he has shown "flashes" of being a Pro Bowl passer, was asked about that statement after Sunday's game.
"When I talk about my improvement and where I need to go as a player, what I was speaking on was just being more consistent," Smith said.
"At the time I was saying that, I had to be more consistent. I believe in myself. I have complete confidence in myself. But consistency is what I'm working on, and that's a work in progress."
Smith has been far from consistent this season.
Who can forget his nightmare home performance against Buffalo? He completed just 2 of 8 passes for five yards and had three interceptions before getting benched.
He was also 4 of 12 for 27 yards in a 31-0 loss to San Diego.
In fact, he passed for less than 100 yards four times this season, contributing mightily to the Jets' 4-12 season.
Even in Sunday's stellar performance, Smith reminded observers of "Bad Geno" when he tried a bootleg run, held the ball loosely in his left hand and lost a fumble at the Jets' 21-yard-line.
"That was pitiful," Smith said without even being asked about the play.
In a sense, that comment by Smith represents almost as much progress as his performance on the field on Sunday. Too many times this season, Smith has made bad plays -- such as taking a sack last week against New England -- and has failed to be truly accountable in his comments to the media.
As for his on-field play, Smith improved his accuracy this season, from a 55.8 completion percentage as a rookie to 58.2. His interceptions were down, from 4.7 to 3.8 percent. And his touchdowns went up, from 2.7 percent to 2.9.
But other stats are telling, too. His yards per pass attempt went down from 6.9 to 6.3. And his record as a starting quarterback went form 8-8 last season to 2-10.
"A ton of adversity," Smith said when asked to sum up the Jets' season. "But the way we stuck together, says a lot about this team."
With changes likely coming at the top of the Jets' organization, it's impossible to say if Smith will be back next season or if this was his last game with the franchise.
Given that, Smith was asked if his performance on Sunday was a "message" to the Jets that he should be retained.
"It's not about sending messages," Smith said. "I just tried to go out there and play a clean game."
