NEW YORK, N. Duke Riley Jersey .Y. - Geno Smith still thinks of himself as the New York Jets starting quarterback. Until hes told otherwise. Smiths up-and-down rookie season ended with four solid games as the Jets finished 8-8, but out of the playoffs. Both coach Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik have said that while Smith improved greatly, they will wait until they see whos on the roster in a few months before considering their starters at any position. "It motivates me," Smith told The Associated Press on Friday. "I know Rex, and he knows how to push my buttons. Im definitely going to go into this season as I always do: with a chip on my shoulder with that edge." Smith was in midtown Manhattan serving fans from an ice cream truck as part of a promotional event for New Era caps — a few hours after Ryan did the same. Smith, who had 12 touchdown passes and 21 interceptions, is expected to be in the quarterback mix whether the Jets sign a veteran or draft someone to compete with him. But, it appears he didnt do enough for the Jets to anoint him the starter as they head into the off-season. "Ive gotten better, but Ive got a long ways to go," Smith acknowledged. "Ive got to continue to progress and Im going to take this year just as I took last year, and thats to try to get better every single day." Smith declined to comment on his recent off-field issues, which included a disagreement with a flight attendant at Los Angeles International airport, for which Virgin America airline later apologized. "Nah, were not talking about that stuff," he said. Taking a quick break from handing out ice cream cones on Super Bowl Boulevard in Times Square, Smith talked about how much he enjoyed seeing the area jam-packed with football fans getting ready for the NFLs biggest game Sunday at MetLife Stadium. It also reminded him of his ultimate goal on the field. "Just being here and being around this atmosphere has definitely made me even more hungry," he said. "Just to get into this position has been something Ive been longing for my entire life, so I just want to work toward it." Smith started all 16 games for the Jets after claiming the job once Mark Sanchez went down for the season with a shoulder injury in the preseason. There were flashes from Smith at times, particularly with four winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime of the Jets first seven games. But there were also troubling stretches, such as the seven-game stretch midway through the season in which he had one touchdown pass and 11 interceptions. While Smith insisted "I dont do grades," he said he learned a lot on the job — a crash course in life in the NFL that not many rookie quarterbacks get to experience. "It was very valuable, man," Smith said. "Not only from the standpoint of being on the field, but off the field. All the emotions I had to go through and all the good and bad things I had to go through, and ultimately, it strengthened me. "It made me a better player and made me a better person off the field." ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org Matt Bryant Jersey . On paper, it looks a little like Andre the Giant taking on a midget wrestler. It has all the makings of a rout with the Americans adding an eighth win in nine outings of this biennial event. The Yanks have eight players in the top 15 in the world while the Internationals have just one. Matt Ryan Jersey . "We cannot stay the same way the whole season long," said Reyes. "This is not acceptable. Something needs to change because were a better team than what were showing right now. Its a long season and we just need to continue to push." Its been a frustrating week for the ballclub. http://www.atlantafalconsfootballstore.com/authentic-alex-mack-falcons-jersey/ . Founding members of the Genie Army, a group of Eugenie Bouchard supporters who cheered for the rising tennis star during the Australian Open in January, will be in the city for the Rogers Cup, beginning this weekend.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Carolina Hurricanes are continuing to make their poor start to the season a distant memory. The suddenly-streaking Canes eye up a fifth straight victory on Saturday night as they visit the rival Washington Capitals. Carolina got off to the worst start in franchise history with eight straight defeats to open the campaign. However, the Hurricanes have now countered that 0-6-2 start with a four-game winning streak, one that was extended with last nights 3-2 overtime victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elias Lindholm scored the winning goal with 38 seconds left in overtime. That came after Carolina had failed to score on its first six chances on the man advantage in the game. Victor Rask and Jeff Skinner scored for the Hurricanes, while Cam Ward stopped 29 shots in the win. We knew they were going to come back hungry, and they were, said Carolina forward Eric Staal. They played hard. It was physical and tight at times, but I liked the resiliency we showed. We stayed with it and continued to battle. Carolina now has a chance to win five straight for the first time since Dec. 31-Jan. 9 of last season and will give Anton Khudobin the start tonight. He is 3-1-0 lifetime versus the Capitals with a 2.74 goals against average and .913 save percentage. Washingtton will take aim at a second straight win as it halted a five-game slide with Friday nights 3-2 triumph over the Chicago Blackhawks. DeVondre Campbell Jersey. Braden Holtby made 38 saves and the Capitals scored three late goals in the second period. Joel Ward, Andre Burakovsky and Marcus Johansson scored in the final five minutes of the second period for the Capitals, who had posted an 0-4-1 mark over their slide. It just goes to show how fast things can turn around in a game, said Ward, whose winning goal came with 4.4 seconds left in the frame. It kind of got switched around for us because weve had a few games where weve had the lead and given it up. It is unknown if Holtby will start again tonight or if the Capitals will turn to former Hurricanes second-round draft pick Justin Peters. Holtby is 5-3-0 with a 2.23 GAA and .940 save percentage in his career versus the Hurricanes, who took drafted Peters in 2004. Peters made 68 appearances with 58 starts over parts of five seasons with Carolina. He played in a career-high 21 games last season, going 7-9-4 with a 2.50 GAA and .919 save percentage. The Hurricanes won three of their five meetings with the Capitals a season ago, with all three wins coming in Washington. 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