To a man, Jets players have marveled at QB Geno Smith's calm and firm leadership -- in and out of the huddle. As he prepares for his 13th NFL season in his second stint with the Green & White, Smith presents as a man comfortable with who he is.

"Overall, I think leadership starts with integrity, and I think in order to lead others, you got to lead yourself first," Smith said before practice on Tuesday. "And so, I'm a guy who never misses a rep. I'm a guy who likes to be early and stay late and do all the little things that it takes to be prepared.

"I think leadership comes with preparation. When guys know that you're prepared, they don't mind following you. And I never once said, 'Hey, I'm the leader.' I don't. I don't believe that's my place. I think I lead by example. I lead through my play, and then I want those guys to feel me in the huddle. I want them to feel my passion and how bad I want to win. Every single day, every single rep. I really love to compete. That's something I love the most, and I think my teammates appreciate that. And I let them talk about all the other stuff, but I just try to stay focused on what I need to do."

As the Jets' Round 2 selection (No. 39 overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft, Smith, 35, has occupied some of the headspace of some of his younger, current teammates for many years -- particularly as his career evolved and caught fire during his 5 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.

"Before I got here, I knew of Geno," WR Adonai Mitchell, 23, said. "You know, I'm saying I've been watching him for a minute. I mean, I say he's as advertised for sure."

Asked how he is dealing with the bright-eyed young men who first encountered him playing on the TV screen, Smith said: "I think it's cool."

He added: "It means that I've been in this league a while, and I intend to stay here. So, for me, I grew up watching guys that I got a chance to play with, so I understand what that's like. And for me, as a player, I'm one of the guys. We're all in this thing together, no matter what age we are. I grew up watching some of those guys as well. I watched those guys on Saturdays. Some of them, like D'Angelo Ponds, I watched him play little league football, so I just appreciate being a part of the team and being one of the guys."

Smith's playing status for Friday night's preseason finale, against the Giants, is TBD until HC Aaron Glenn announces his decision. After missing the preseason opener against Tampa Bay because of a sore ankle, Smith and the first-team offense put together an impressive opening drive at Pittsburgh. He sprayed the ball around the field to 6 receivers and was credited with 7-of-7 completions when a deflected pass fell into the hands of LG Dylan Parham.