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Geno Smith Says He Has 'Great Shot' To Win Jets' QB Competition

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Geno Smith says he has a "great shot" to win the Jets' quarterback competition this summer.

Smith told the Charleston (W. Va.) Gazette that he's "prepared" and "getting better daily" as training camp nears at SUNY Cortland, where the rookie will face off against incumbent starter Mark Sanchez.

"I have a goal in mind and I'm really going to go after that," Smith told the paper. "I want to be the best. It's going to take time and effort and that's what I'm willing to put in. Once I step on the field it's about business. I'm really appreciative to have made it to this level, but there's a lot more for me out there and I'm going to try and strive for it."

Smith compiled video-game stats in four years at West Virginia, throwing for 11,662 yards with 98 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. He was once expected to be the first quarterback taken in this year's draft, possibly a top-10 pick. Instead he fell to the Jets in the second round.

"I feel like I have a great shot," Smith said of the QB battle. "I did a pretty good job overall of just adapting to the (Jets') system and playbook and felt very comfortable with it by the end of OTAs and mandatory (mini-) camp."

Sanchez seems to have the support of the locker room despite struggling for a second straight season in 2012, when he was benched twice in the final month.

Players will report to Cortland on Thursday. The first practice of camp is scheduled for Friday, July 26.

"Going into training camp I've got a great opportunity and feel very good about it," Smith said. "I'm going to go in there with the right mentality, the same mentality I had throughout my entire career, which is to work hard, to better myself and help my teammates get better and we'll see what happens at the end of preseason.".

New York announced the signing of Smith on Monday.

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