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NEW YORK -- Michael Vick has watched Geno Smith every day for nearly two weeks. cheap nfl jerseys . Every snap and every throw. Sure, Vick would like to be the New York Jets starting quarterback. But, from what he has seen, theyre already in pretty good hands with Smith. "Hes going to be great," Vick declared. "Hes going to be 10 times better than where he was last year and Im looking forward to it." Thats quite an endorsement from a guy who still believes he can be a star in the NFL. As it stands, Vick is a big-name, veteran backup who can step in if needed and push Smith to be better in his second season. Some fans and media wonder when -- not if -- Vick will replace Smith under centre. The doubters arent sold on Smith being able to improve that dramatically from a rookie year in which he threw 21 interceptions and just 12 touchdowns. Smith gets a chance to show everyone where he stands Thursday when the Jets -- with newcomers Eric Decker and Chris Johnson -- play their preseason opener at home against Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. "Execution. Its always about execution," Smith said. "Its always about us doing the right things on the field. We want to execute to the best of our ability. Go out there and be sharp mentally, be sharp physically, be accurate, be sharp with the reads, and get good plays in." Sounds simple, huh? Smith found out last year that the leap from college to the pros isnt always without some stumbles. He has used the off-season and training camp to try to make the game slow down a bit. "I felt it coming at the end of last season," he said. "Its still a work in progress. Im still getting better. Im still fine-tuning a lot of things. Still need to focus on the mental aspect of it and all the small things that will make me better." As far as Rex Ryan is concerned, having Vick around can only help Smith -- which, in turn, will help the Jets determine if theyve got their quarterback of the future. "I think that if you have Mike Vick come in here, you better be on top of your game, and obviously Geno is," Ryan said. "Whether he needed Mike Vick to be here or not, Im not sure. But probably not because I know Geno wants it in the worst way to be a great quarterback and the preparation that he did in the off-season, the things he did. "But certainly, with Mike Vick in there, that does push him." Ryan expects the starters to play into the second quarter Thursday night, with Smith opening the game and Vick perhaps getting the final series before backups come in. Chuck Pagano was unsure how much Luck and the Colts starters will play. Wide receiver Reggie Wayne, still recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee, will not suit up but is expected to be ready for the season opener at Denver. "Youd love to see in a perfect world, them go out there and have a six-, seven-, eight-play drive, score a touchdown, kick a PAT, and make a decision there, get them out of the game and whatnot," Pagano said. That wont be in the game plan for Ryans defence, which expects to be among the leagues best this season. "As luck would have it," a grinning Ryan said, with a pause punctuating his attempt at humour, "we play a heck of a quarterback. ... I think its going to be a good test for our defence and a good test for them, too." Whether its one series or a handful, Luck has a few goals of his own set for the preseason opener. "Take care of the football, convert third downs and score touchdowns," he said. "Positive, positive plays." Thats exactly what Ryan and Smith expect. "Im excited about it just like, shoot, no different than our fans," Ryan said. "Lets see where this team is at. Lets see how Decker fits in, lets see how this defence looks. So, Im excited to watch us play against somebody else." wholesale jerseys . 1 and No. 2 in womens golf at the World Ladies Championship. Park closed with a 6-under 67 for a five-shot victory over Suzann Pettersen in a Ladies European Tour event. cheap jerseys . A goal machine for the MLS team when healthy, the former striker is back in his native Netherlands these days.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - The NFLs officiating chief has cleared Broncos receiver Wes Welker of any wrongdoing for his hit that knocked Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib out of Sundays AFC Championship. "It was a legal hit," Vice-President of Officiating Dean Blandino said on the NFL Network on Wednesday night. On Monday, New England coach Bill Belichick blasted Welker for the hit, calling it "one of the worst plays" hed seen in nearly four decades of coaching. Without mentioning his former player by name, Belichick said it "was a deliberate play by the receiver to take out Aqib, no attempt to get open." He added, "Ill let the league handle the discipline on that play." There will be no discipline for Welker; Blandino said there was simply no infraction of the rules. Welker, coming from the right, collided with Talib, who was running from the left to stay with his receiver, a split-second before Peyton Mannings pass went off the hands of receiver Demaryius Thomas a few yards away in the first quarter Sunday. No flag was thrown. Talib left the game with a knee injury and didnt return, and Manning threw for 400 yards in Denvers 26-16 win that sent the top-seeded Broncos to the Super Bowl. "The first potential foul would be for offensive pass interference; a receiver cant block downfield before the ball is touched, so the timing is important," Blandino said on his weekly appearance on the NFL Network. He noted that as "contact occurs, the ball is touched almost simultaneously. We dont have a foul for pass interference." "The other thing, is it unnecessary roughness? Under the current rules it isnt," Blandino said. "Its not late; Talib wasnt out of the play." Given that an injury occurred, Blandino said he expects the leagues competition committee to examine the play in the off-season "and determine if there needs to be a change. Cheap France Soccer Jerseys. But under the current rules, this is a legal play." Welker, who had a cool relationship with Belichick before leaving New England as a free agent last off-season, hasnt been available for comment this week as the Broncos wont practice until Thursday. But after the game, Welker said, "it was one of those plays where its kind of a rub play and I was trying to get him to go over the top, and I think he was thinking the same thing and wanted to come underneath and we just kind of collided. ... It wasnt a deal where I was trying to hit him or anything like that." Broncos coach John Fox responded to Belichicks stinging criticism on Monday by saying Welker is a "a great player, high integrity. I can say that we were not doing anything with intent." At 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, Welker is 4 inches shorter and 20 pounds lighter than Talib. Hes also wearing a special helmet to guard against further head injury after missing the final month of the season with his second concussion. Hes also never been known as a dirty player. Patriots safety Steve Gregory said he didnt think Welker would deliberately try to hurt a player, saying, "I dont think anybody plays that way, especially at this level of football with two great football teams in the Broncos and ourselves." Blandino said he has spoken with Belichick this week about the play "and obviously there is a difference of opinion there and something that well continue to look at during the off-season." ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org ___ Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton cheap jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' '