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Following up on an item in this week's Team Notes. ... As NFL.com's Dan Hanzus suggested Wednesday, Geno Smith is having a bad week. His team is in a deep slump, and his play is a big reason why. The ugly F-bomb incident involving a fan at MetLife Stadium was the cherry on top of a dirt sundae.

The Jets locker room is no bastion, either. It's there that reporters ask about Michael Vick, and whether the veteran backup could provide a spark to the offense. Smith bristled at the notion on Wednesday.

"I don't know what you're trying to lead to with that question," Smith said, according to the New York Daily News. "Maybe that's your opinion."

"What do you mean a spark?" a defensive Smith continued. "We've already put him in."

Smith refers, of course, to the Jets' seldom-used Vick package, which has found scant success this season. Later, Smith was again asked about the potential benefits of more Vick playing time.

"That doesn't make sense," said Smith, whom the Daily News called "clearly agitated" by this point. "What team do you see doing that? That's not a question. Next question."

Hanzus went on to note that one of Smith's best characteristics in the early part of his career has been his ability to handle the New York spotlight in times of turbulence for himself and the Jets. This wasn't the first time Smith has been short with the media this week, and his fan incident has been well-documented.

Hanzus summed up, "Smith clearly is feeling the pressure. How he performs under it on Sunday in San Diego is one of the more interesting subplots to follow in Week 5."

Worth noting: Jets owner Woody Johnson backed Smith during a press conference Thursday, but he made it clear that he was not pleased with Smith cursing at a fan after a Week 4 loss to the Lions.

"That’s unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable," Johnson said, per Newark Star-Ledger. "It’s something I don’t think he should ever do. I try not to do it. I have to remind myself not to do it occasionally. But you can’t react to those kinds of things. He is one of the leaders on the team. Generally, I don’t think any of us should respond to things like that. That goes for you guys (reporters)."

Johnson didn't spend all of his time Thursday scrutinizing Smith for his actions. He also showed support for Smith, who has seven turnovers in four games this season and 32 in his 20 career games.

"That, I knew we were going to get," Johnson said of Smith’s mistakes. "If you look at what we’re doing, we haven’t won as many games as we want. I have a lot of confidence in Geno. I think Geno can be a franchise quarterback. I really do. I see traits in him and we all see traits in him that are extremely positive and room for a lot of optimism."

Also. ... Johnson explained during a press conference with reporters that Rex Ryan’s status will be determined after the current season. But Johnson hinted that Rex’s future doesn’t hinge on a playoff berth.

“We don’t look at it that way,” Johnson said regarding a playoff-or-bust mandate. “We’re looking to build a team both on the field and through our coaches that we feel is the best we can get. And so we make those decisions at the end of the season, when we evaluate everything.”

Asked whether Rex could return even if the streak of non-playoff appearances runs to four, Johnson reiterated that those decisions will be made at the appropriate time.

“Those are the kinds of decisions that we make at the end of the season,” Johnson said. “And we’ll evaluate everybody and see what the best plan is going forward.”