Ex-Jet Geno set for Giant debut

GENO SMITH says Jet fans who watch the Giants’ preseason opener Friday night will see the same quarterback who was committed to football for four years wearing green.

“They’ll recognize me,” Smith said after Wednesday’s practice. “I think that’s just a misconception. They’ll recognize me. They’ve seen me play. They’ve seen me play well.”

Smith, who had on- and off-field issues and injury problems as a Jet, is resisting the notion he has entered chapter two of his NFL career by switching over to Big Blue.

“It’s still chapter one,” he said. “It’s not that kind of thing for me. I’m always focused on football. I don’t look at the outside storylines, any of that. This is a game that I love. I enjoy playing it and I know that the ups and downs, they just come with it.”

But he did admit that continuing to call MetLife Stadium home while wearing red, white and blue could feel odd at first.

“I’m sure once I go to the stadium and kind of put on the new uniform and walk out for the first time as a Giant, it’ll be different,” he said.

Smith’s job interview with the Giants is about to enter the showme stage.

Coach Ben McAdoo said he will treat playing time Friday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers “similar to the way we treated it last year,” which likely means Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. will sit and Brandon Marshall may not play, as well. Other starters probably will play a series or two, as they did in last year’s opener against the Miami Dolphins.

At quarterback, though, that means Smith and Josh Johnson each will see their first significant work in their battle to back up Manning this fall. McAdoo also said rookie third-round pick Davis Webb will play.

McAdoo hasn’t named a starter, and it’s likely Johnson will get the ball first, being the incumbent and the second QB on the club’s first unofficial depth chart. But Smith’s journey is the most interesting to New York football fans for several reasons.

For one, he will be playing his first game on Friday since tearing the ACL in his right knee on Oct. 23. Smith said he actually will not wear a brace on his rehabilitated knee.

“We’re going to go out there and cut it loose, play like I know how and just give it everything I got,” Smith said.

Smith also works out in the offseason with Steelers star wideout Antonio Brown, so there’s a connection to the Giants’ opponent. And his history as a Jet, with a 57.9 completion percentage, 28 TDs and 36 INTs in four seasons, of course forms the backdrop to what Smith now does for Big Blue. That includes his off-field issues, like being knocked out by a Jets teammate over an unpaid debt.

The way Smith sees it, though, this is about the football, and that’s what he has enjoyed about his time so far with the Giants: It’s been “one-hundred percent” about football.

“That’s been the blessing in it,” Smith, 26, said. “I’ve had a tremendous amount of time to work on my game, to become a more refined quarterback and also, to work on my body and all the small things that help you continuously play in this league.”

Smith outplayed Johnson last Saturday during a long practice. Johnson, 31, then played well on Tuesday and has proven resilient in his career on seven different teams.

“I’m extremely excited. I can’t wait,” Johnson said of Friday’s game. “I’ve been thinking about it every night. Just trying to live in the moment, though. Right now we’re still in training camp, just trying to keep being able to prepare and go out there and be ready for everything thrown at me.”

Webb, meanwhile, admitted he has “butterflies” but said he isn’t nervous. There’s a difference, the rookie said.

“Nervous is, to me, when you’re not prepared,” he said. “You’re kind of freaking out. For me, it’s just that I’m amped up and excited and want to get this going.”