Geno has proven he deserves another shot

milk over things I can’t control,” he added. “That’s only gonna hinder my success or progress. It just added fuel to fire, made my offseason workouts interesting because I’m working harder.”

Smith is a competitor, so he wanted to be on the field and he now wants to prove his doubters wrong. But that didn’t affect the impression he made inside the Giants’ building, or how hard he worked, or how positive of an influence he was in the quarterback room.

Don’t believe it? Here’s last year’s third-string rookie QB, Davis Webb.

“Geno was a great teammate to me all year,” Webb told the Daily News Monday afternoon. “He built me up and really praised my onfield play and work ethic. He and I competed each and every day at practice and it made us both better. I believe and know he will get a shot to start. He will get an opportunity, and I can’t wait to see him take full advantage of it.”

And so Smith, who has owned up to his own mistakes in the past, is prepared to play outside of New York for the first time in his career. “I had an opportunity with the Jets and at that moment I let it slip away because some things I had not done right,” Smith said. “But this (situation with the Giants) was different, with things completely out of my control. It gave me extra motivation, and I’m getting stronger, getting faster and things are paying off. … If somebody gives me that opportunity, I’m putting work in on my own behind scenes.”

On Dec. 3, 2017, inside OaklandAlameda County Coliseum, Smith proved he still can play at a high level. His 89.3 quarterback rating (QBR) was higher than 10 of Manning’s 15 starts. His 61.8 completion percentage was higher than nine of Manning’s 15 starts. He was more mobile in the pocket.

Smith completed 21-of-34 passes for 212 yards, one 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Evan Engram and no interceptions. He did lose two fumbles, plagued by the same offensive line protection issues on the edges that compromised Manning’s performance.

Smith did all of this under the pressure of 1) being the first black starting quarterback in Giants history and 2) being the object of such vitriol for starting over Manning that his father received a death threat over the phone. Smith’s life isn’t always as simple as others’ because of how popular a target he’s become for criticism. Memorably, Smith called Rex Ryan a “coward” from the podium after that game in response to his former Jets coach dissing his abilities during that morning’s ESPN NFL coverage (Smith later apologized to Giants fans for the remark). A couple weeks ago, he caught fiery heat on Twitter for writing, “I been studying this whole flat earth vs globe thing… and I think may be with (NBA star) Kyrie (Irving) on this” — even though Smith clarified for the Daily News on Monday, “to me (the Earth) has gotta be round.”

“To clarify, which I did on Twitter, I never said I believed the Earth was flat,” Smith said Monday. “I said there are some people who actually believe in this who have valid reasons why and that I was open to listening.”

There is somehow still this idea that it must take an open-minded NFL GM just to give Smith a shot. Some free agent QB lists have to roll far past the names of Kirk Cousins, Case Keenum, Sam Bradford — heck, even A.J. McCarron, 27, with three career starts to Geno’s 31 — before they get to Smith. hat those lists ignore, though, is Smith's strong bridge year with the Giants and his grueling offseason work with personal trainer Bo Smith in Miami.

“My goal is to be a franchise quarterback,” Smith said. “That takes a lot of responsibility, which I understand.”

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