Rex Ryan: 'Geno Smith will be hard to beat out'

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan has insisted that quarterback Geno Smith will be difficult to beat out of a starting spot this season.

The Jets acquired veteran Michael Vick this off-season, and while many expect him to challenge Smith it appears as though Ryan will continue with him for now.

"Geno Smith is going to be hard to beat out. He knows the offense forward and backwards," he said, the New York Daily News reports.

While the Jets haven't officially announced which quarterback will be a starter in the new season, Ryan did suggest that Vick still has a chance to win the job during pre-season.