FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Geno Smith is the new face of the franchise for the New York Jets. Well, at least for the opening game of the season. Beyond that, well see. The rookie quarterback will start in the opener at home Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team finally confirmed Wednesday what had been expected since Mark Sanchez injured his right shoulder in a preseason game against the Giants on Aug. 24. "Theyll try to rattle my cage," Smith said about the Buccaneers. "I expect those guys to come out fired up and they want to make a statement. Theyve got a rookie quarterback and theyll want to hit me and get me off my game, but I expect those things. And I look forward to it." But, will Greg Schianos defence be able to unnerve him? "No," Smith said with a confident smile. Smith, who had an up-and-down preseason, was the teams second-round draft pick out of West Virginia after he was projected by many to be selected early in the opening round. After Smith threw three interceptions and took a safety in three-plus quarters against the Giants, it was widely assumed Sanchez had won the job. But Rex Ryan chose to put Sanchez in the game in the fourth quarter -- and he suffered the injury that could sideline him several weeks. "We realize that a rookie quarterback and all that, thats certainly a challenge," Ryan said. "I think our guys are ready to rally behind Geno, and the big thing weve told Geno is, You just have to be part of the solution." Despite announcing Smith as the starter for this week, Ryan wouldnt commit to him as the long-term guy under centre. It was an approach that was echoed by owner Woody Johnson and general manager John Idzik. "Well always put the best player we can on the field on Sunday, and that will continue," Johnson said. "The competitions ongoing." With Smith stepping into the starters role, it makes Sanchezs status with the team unclear. Ryan has still never declared a winner to the competition -- and he might not ever do so. If Smith can be solid during Sanchezs absence, he could make it hard for Ryan to pull him. And, by never saying whether Smith or Sanchez had won the job, Ryan would never technically have benched the anointed starter. While many look at the move as the team moving forward with a new quarterback, Idzik was asked if, when healthy, Sanchez has a chance to be the starter again. "Yes, of course he does," Idzik said. The Jets also have the inexperienced Matt Simms, who had a terrific preseason, and recently signed journeyman Brady Quinn. But with Sanchez not ready to play Sunday, the choice for Ryan, Idzik and offensive co-ordinator Marty Mornhinweg was easy for this week. "Well go through some ups and downs, I guarantee you that," Mornhinweg told the teams website. "Knowing Geno, hopefully there will be more ups than there are downs." Smith was off to a great start in training camp, going several practices without throwing an interception and outperforming Sanchez on some days. But Smith sprained his right ankle in the third quarter of the Jets preseason opener at Detroit and didnt play in the second game against Jacksonville because of the injury. He started against the Giants, with the general thought being he could potentially secure the starting job with a solid performance. Instead, Smith showed his inexperience during a miserable performance -- hurt in part by his ailing ankle -- that appeared to tip the tightly contested competition in Sanchezs favour. "I dont think Ive been rushed," said Smith, who took 69 snaps in preseason games. "They wouldnt put me out there if they didnt think I was ready." But the quarterback situation changed when Sanchez took a crunching hit to the shoulder from the Giants Marvin Austin. "We all regret that Mark got hurt, and obviously thats unfortunate," Ryan said. "Its unfortunate that it happened, but these things do happen and weve moved on." The Jets have said only that Sanchez -- the starter since his rookie season in 2009 -- was day to day with simply a "shoulder injury." The fact he hasnt practiced since, and the Jets signing Quinn on Monday were signs that Sanchezs injury was more serious than the team was initially letting on. But placing Sanchez on injured reserve doesnt appear to be an option at the moment. "Were not looking at that," Idzik said. Smith said his ankle is "steadily improving," and is "a ways away" from where it was in training camp, when he wasnt able to fully drive the ball as he planted his foot. "Nothing is given in this league," Smith said about needing to prove himself each week. "Im going to go out there and Im going to do that." Sanchez was once considered the future of the franchise, a terrific talent with GQ looks, and consecutive trips to the AFC title game in his first two years drew natural comparisons to Joe Namath. But Sanchez struggled over the next few seasons, including an NFL-leading 52 turnovers the last two years, and failed to develop into the elite passer the Jets had hoped. Ryan benched Sanchez for a game last season and it appeared his days in New York were numbered. His contract, however, and the $8.25 million in guarantees for this year made him unmovable. Still some have speculated that the Jets could simply cut Sanchez and move forward entirely with Smith. "Mark is going to be on the team," Johnson said. "I dont think theres a question." It appeared in spring that the Jets would let Sanchez compete with veteran David Garrard for the starting job. During the draft in April, the Jets went for defence with their two first-round picks, selecting cornerback Dee Milliner and defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson. But when their pick came up in the second round and Smith was still available, they jumped at the chance to take him. In May, knee trouble caused Garrard to retire, leaving the competition between Sanchez and Smith. A few months later, Smith has the opportunity -- starting Sunday against Tampa Bay -- to try to prove he might be the type of franchise-changing quarterback the Jets have been looking for. "Id like to be," Smith said. "Thats a tough question, but honestly, Id love to be the franchise quarterback here. I think thats the reason they brought me here." NOTES: Ryan announced that Vladimir Ducasse would start at left guard, and Antonio Allen would start at safety opposite Dawan Landry. Those were the two other main competitions in training camp. ... Simms will serve as the backup to Smith over Quinn on Sunday. 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"Ive been getting texts from Eric and he just says the atmosphere is amazing, its special,” he said.(SportsNetwork.com) - Its footballs equivalent to Bird versus Magic or perhaps Ali and Frazier. Catch the action live, beginning with Football Night in America on TSN2 at 7pm et/4pm pt. For the 14th time in their storied careers, future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady will face off against each other when the Denver Broncos visit the New England Patriots on "Sunday Night Football." Brady has generally had the edge historically, going 9-4 against Mannings Colts and now Broncos but Peyton has posted a 4-3 record in his last seven head-to-head matchups after dropping the first six meetings. Each has enjoyed almost stunning efficiency throughout their respective careers. In fact this contest will mark the first in NFL history in which both signal callers are at least 90 games over .500 as starters. Brady has the best winning percentage in the modern era and is at plus-101 for his career (143-42) while Manning is third overall in winning percentage and plus-92 (163-71). "Its always a great matchup," said Broncos interim head coach Jack Del Rio when talking about the two QBs. "Youre talking about two of the premier quarterbacks in the league and its going to be shown in primetime and all that." Mannings Broncos have been playing at the higher level so far this season and Denver defeated Kansas City, 27-17, last week, handing the Chiefs their first loss of the season. With the win, the Broncos are now deadlocked with KC atop both the AFC West and the conference as a whole at 9-1. Manning threw a touchdown pass in that one, and rookie Montee Ball ran for two scores as Denver denied the Chiefs their first 10-0 start in franchise history. Manning, playing on a tender ankle, completed 24-of-40 passes for 323 yards and was not sacked once by a unit which entered the week leading the NFL in that category. "I thought they responded well against a very good front," said Del Rio about his offensive line. Knowshon Moreno added 79 yards on the ground for the Broncos, who became the first team to score more than 17 points against Kansas City this season en route to winning their ninth straight game against a division foe. New England, on the other hand, leads the AFC East by two games despite a controversial 24-20 loss at Carolina on Monday night. The game ended despite a flag being thrown in the end zone on the final play, indicating a possible pass interference/holding penalty on Carolinas Luke Kuechly, but officials picked it up, a move that infuriated Brady, who followed referee Clete Blakeman off the field as the TV broadcast picked up audio of the veteran using an expletive to complain. "I wish it wouldnt have come down to that," Brady said. "I mean I think there were plenty of plays we could have made, but it did and theyre going to make a call or theyre not going to make the call. We can play better than that." Down by four with just under a minute to go and all three timeouts in hand, the Pats marched to the Carolina 18, where, on the games final play, Brady threw a pass that rookie safety Robert Lester picked off in the end zone. Brady was looking for Rob Gronkowski but the All-Pro tight end was bear-hugged by Kuechly behind Lester. The official nearest the play threw a flag in the end zone, but Blakeman and the rest of the crew huddled and declared there was no foul. Brady completed 29-of-40 passes for 296 yards with one touchdown. Running back Shane Vereen, activated from short-term injured reserve prior to the game, had 65 yards on eight receptiions for the Patriots, who are two games behind the Broncos and Chiefs for the AFC lead.dddddddddddd "Its not really our job to call the game. Its to play it and coach it. Whatever calls they make are the ones that we live with," Belichick said. "We have to turn the page here quickly, get on to Denver. Good football team, playing well. Obviously, their record reflects that." The Broncos own a 25-18 all-time record against the Patriots in the regular season, including a 9-9 mark in road games. The banged-up New England defense faces its toughest test this week. The Broncos lead the NFL with 398 points scored -- the third-most ever by a team through the first 10 games of a season -- and Manning has passed for a league-best 3,572 yards and 34 touchdowns, a number on pace to top Bradys record season of 50 in 2007, which just happened to top Mannings 49 from three years prior to that. The success of the Broncos offense is directly tied to Mannings high-level of performance along with a stunning group of playmakers which includes ex- Patriots star Wes Welker along with outside the numbers threats Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker as well as dynamic tight end Julius Thomas. Welker, of course, was Bradys top target for six seasons in New England, amassing 672 receptions and 37 TDs over that span while reaching the 1,000- yard plateau in five of those years. He is, however, dealing with a concussion and could miss his return to Foxborough. Meanwhile, Julius Thomas, who already has 10 receiving TDs, matching Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe for the most by a tight end in franchise history, is also hampered by a balky knee. "(Welker is) a tough guy so hes played through everything," Brady said. "This is a big game for both teams so you have to expect their best players. Im sure all those guys will be ready to go." Welker hasnt slowed down much in the Rockies and has 61 receptions for 648 yards, one of five Broncos to have at least 37 catches so far in 2013. "Wes has a great work ethic and hes provided just good leadership to our offense," Manning said. He loves football. Hes a tough guy. He plays through injuries. And those are things that you appreciate about a football player." The middle of the Pats D has been decimated by injuries with defensive tackles Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly as well as middle linebacker Jerod Mayo and safety Adrian Wilson lost for the season. Meanwhile cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (knee) and safety Steve Gregory (thumb) missed last weeks game at Carolina and the teams top over corner, Aqib Talib, was forced to leave after aggravating a hip injury that caused him to miss the three prior games. Brady, who has thrown for 2,552 yards and 14 TDs, really hadnt been himself this season thanks in large part to the uncertainty at the skill positions but he has slowly been starting to hit his stride The fact that Gronkowski and slot receiver Danny Amendola are now healthy while rookie Aaron Dobson seems to getting it has to be a scary thought for most opposing defenses. "Its pretty well documented my respect for Tom as a quarterback," Manning said. "The way he prepares. The way hes better each season than the year before. Every time you play their football team, youre playing a well- coached, disciplined team." The Broncos suffered a significant hit on their defense when safety Rahim Moore was lost for a significant period after undergoing emergency surgery to stop bleeding in a left leg muscle. China NFL JerseysCheap Nike NFL JerseysNFL Jerseys CheapWholesale NFL JerseysCheap Basketball Jerseys OnlineStitched Hockey JerseysWholesale Baseball JerseysFootball Jerseys OutletCollege Jerseys For SaleCheap MLB JerseysWholesale Soccer JerseysWholesale Jerseys For SaleWholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '