Rex Ryan: Geno Smith's film study is 'smart as hell'

New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith had a difficult rookie season, and he's looking to gain any edge he can get as he enters his second NFL year.

That includes studying film in an unconventional way.

According to the New York Daily News, Smith was on the receiving end of some advice from friend and mentor John Thornton, who played 10 seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Thornton told Smith to watch the defensive coordinators who were already game-planning against him.

"You got to study those guys who are coming up with plans all offseason to attack you,” Thornton told Smith. “Don’t just watch the film of yourself. Watch the guys who are planning on attacking you."

The Jets will face four teams with new defensive coordinators this season in the Bills, Titans, Vikings and Lions. Smith found tapes of each new coordinator's work with their previous teams and began studying them without telling any of his coaches.

“That’s smart as hell though,” head coach Rex Ryan said. “I never even knew about it.”

Smith threw 12 touchdown passes and 21 interceptions while piling up 3,046 yards through the air last season over 16 games.

"He wants to be great,” Ryan said. “He just doesn’t want to be a guy that gets through. God touched the kid. He’s got so much ability. He can throw, he can run, he can do all that. But it’s that work ethic. As a quarterback, you almost have to be a gym rat. And he’s done it.”

“I like watching film anyway,” Smith said. “It was one of those things where I didn’t have anything to do anyway, so I just wanted to kind of get ahead of stuff.”

Will it be enough to make him one of the top-five quarterbacks in the NFL? That certainly remains to be seen, but you can't fault the effort he's putting forth.