Jets Q&A: Devin Smith's first TD catch gets everyone excited

What did Devin Smith say about his first NFL touchdown?

It was hard to tell who was more excited -- the rookie receiver or his Jets teammates.

"I was saying, 'Welcome to the NFL. About time,' " Brandon Marshall said of Smith's 16-yard TD catch.

Some fans may have given up on him, but Smith said he knew his "time was coming."

He was right.

His first career TD helped the Jets take a 14-point lead in the second quarter of their 38-20 win over the Dolphins on Sunday. It also quieted the detractors who already had written him off as a second-round bust.

After taking heat in recent weeks for dropping passes -- most notably his dropped TD last week in Houston -- Smith's teammates told him "to keep going and keep grinding,'' he said. "And that was all I could do."

Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey expressed confidence in Smith last week and coach Todd Bowles did the same after the game. "It was just a matter of time before he came through for us," Bowles said. "I feel great for the kid."

Smith rewarded their patience with his first big play. "In this profession, you have to understand that [criticism] is going to come," he said. " Whenever something like that happens, I just take it in stride . . . Everybody on this team is right next to me."

Ryan Fitzpatrick called his TD pass to Smith "a trust throw" and praised the speedster out of Ohio State for making "a great catch."

Said Fitzpatrick: "All week people kept asking me about him, and he's a guy that has played in big football games and made a lot of great plays. So his emergence, and just the fact that he is going to continue to get better, is really going to help us."

Was Darrelle Revis missed?

Replacing a star is never easy, but Marcus Williams filled in admirably. The undrafted second-year cornerback picked off Ryan Tannehill for his fifth interception to set up the Jets' first score. The bad news? He suffered a knee sprain when he was tackled on his return. He's day-to-day, Bowles said.

Any other notable injuries?

Linebacker Calvin Pace strained his abdomen and also is day-to-day.

Why was Demario Davis splitting time with Erin Henderson?

There's rotation at every position, but this was the first time Bowles platooned Davis, a 2012 third-round pick, and Henderson. "You have to earn playing time around here, and Erin has done that," Bowles said of switching the linebackers every other series.

Henderson, a free-agent signee in April, said Bowles made it clear that production will predict playing time.

"For sure. That was one of the first things we talked about when he got here. Making sure you perform week in and week out, and when your number's called, just go out there and take care of business," Henderson said. "Us going 1-4 in five games, it was time for us to switch some things up."

Davis said he was told ahead of time that he and Henderson would split time, though he tried to downplay his reduced role.

Where was Dee Milliner?

On the sideline for the entire game. Asked why the 2013 first-round pick didn't play despite injuries to Revis and Williams, Bowles said: "No reason."