Geno critics disappoint players

The day after Geno Smith expressed his disappointment over losing his starting spot following one game, two teammates stood up for him — and pointed the finger at how fans treated Smith when he replaced Eli Manning under center, snapping his streak of 210 consecutive starts.

“The one thing I just had a problem with was, it wasn’t the same support when we had Geno Smith as the quarterback,” defensive end Olivier Vernon said Thursday. “I understand Eli [is] a great quarterback, but at the end of the day, we’re all teammates and we all support each other, and that’s one thing that, one of our guys wasn’t getting support like that like he needed to [from the fans].”

Safety Landon Collins echoed Vernon, saying Smith “didn’t [have support] at all.” There was talk of fans boycotting Sunday’s game against the Cowboys if Manning didn’t reclaim his job, though that lost steam once head coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese were fired Monday.

“As a fan, you need to back up any decision that we make because it might help,” Collins said. “I mean, he’s a good guy. Good quarterback. He’s done so much. He’s earned his position on this team. ... I know Eli is the man, but at the same time, [our] coach felt different, the organization felt different for him and they wanted to try something new. Just kind of just support us because at the end of the day, everybody wants support.”

Smith’s lone start was mediocre. He completed 21-of-34 passes for 212 yards, a touchdown and lost two fumbles in a 24-17 loss to the Raid- ers. The next day, McAdoo and Reese were fired, and on Wednesday interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo announced Manning would start Sunday against the Cowboys.

Cornerback Eli Apple (hip/ back), right tackle Justin Pugh (back), defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (finger) and running back Orleans Darkwa (illness) didn’t practice.

After missing practice Wednesday, wide receiver Sterling Shepard (hamstring) practiced on a limited basis.