Geno Smith Jr. had just learned last Tuesday that his son, Geno Smith III, was going to start at quarterback for the Giants in their game against the Raiders in Oakland on Sunday. It was 4:33 p.m., shortly after hearing the good news from his son, that the father's cell phone rang.

"I was just at work," Smith Jr. told NJ Advance Media. "I answered and he was like, 'Geno?' So I just listened and he was like, 'Is this Geno?' I was like, 'Yeah.' He was like, 'Your son better not start or we're going to kill you.' I kind of just laughed and then he hung up."

Smith Jr. was sitting in his car monitoring workers removing debris as part of FEMA's disaster relief efforts in Miami and Broward County when he received the threatening call from a man he said sounded in his late 20s. Smith Jr., 43, didn't recognize the phone number that had a Missouri area code.

Smith Jr. said he was surprised by the call and wondered how the person got his number, but he wasn't scared.

"If someone was going to kill me, they ain't going to call me and tell me," Smith Jr. said.

The decision by then-Giants coach Ben McAdoo to start Smith was met with outrage, mostly because it ended two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning's streak of 210 consecutive starts.

"I guess it was an emotional time with Eli not starting," Smith Jr. said. "I don't know if it's that. I don't know if they just hate Geno that much. I just don't know. I couldn't tell you."

Smith Jr. told his son about the death threat shortly after receiving the call.

"I think my dad handled it well," the quarterback told NJ Advance Media. "He kind of just hung up the phone. It's just kind of shameful that would be happening because of someone doing their job. When he told me that, I was like, 'What?' But you kind of get a sense of comfortability from him. He was like, 'Man, it's nothing, don't worry about it. Just do your thing, play your game.' So that was why I was able to be easy with it."

The Smiths didn't report the threat to police or NFL security.

"Maybe if it was a consistent thing, but it was just a one-time deal along with all the other crap-talk that's out there, so we really didn't do anything," the quarterback said. "He's a tough guy. He's one of those people (who's) not afraid of anything. That's kind of how we are - just fearless."

Smith Jr. said the same person called, this time from an Ohio area code, on Monday after McAdoo was fired. Manning has since been reinstated as the starter for Sunday's game against the Cowboys.

"It was crazy because right after McAdoo got fired and they said that Eli was going back in, the same person called back but I guess they know how to flip numbers," the father said. "He was like, 'I told you he better not start,' and then he hung up. I was thinking to myself: He did start. I still didn't say anything. I just listened and laughed because there's no sense in getting in an argument on the phone."

The quarterback said the threat didn't weigh on him as he prepared for his start against the Raiders.

"It was easy for me because I don't really pay attention to it. I think what made it so easy is I still got a chance to go out there and practice and get ready for a game," Smith said. "It's unfortunate. A lot of people fail to properly assess things and they kind of spew out negativity. I think that just comes with the territory in this business. You're going to have that happen and you've just got to be above it."

Smith has dealt with plenty of adversity during his five-year NFL career, but he said he has never received a death threat. Smith Jr. said he is proud of the way his son handled a difficult week.

"I'm not going to even lie to you, like I tell him all the time, that kid is tough as nails," Smith Jr. said. "For all the stuff he's been through, I don't even know how I would react. But I think he actually handled it very well. He has a keen way of tuning everything out."

Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.