Bill Belichick has praised Geno Smith's performance in his first regular season start for the New York Jets.

The rookie quarterback will continue as starter against the New England Patriots on Thursday, following the Jets' win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Speaking at a press conference, the Patriots head coach said: "Yeah, I have seen it and it was good. Good drive that they put together to get down for the first field goal to put them ahead.

"He made a couple of plays there at the end on the pass over the middle to [tight end Kellen] Winslow and scrambled to set up the second drive. He showed his athleticism and showed good arm strength, good accuracy. He handled the team well.

"We saw plenty of that when he was at West Virginia. He can run if he needs to run, he can throw if he needs to throw. I thought he did a good job of both."

Smith won the starting job for the Jets following an injury to Mark Sanchez during the pre-season.