Geno Smith is the right quarterback for Seattle at this moment in his life—and in this franchise’s existence. Lower in this column, you’ll read about what Pete Carroll learned from Geno Smith. It’s insightful and shows an unselfish person who knows how to lead a team. That’s all well and good—but can the guy play? Sunday’s 37-31 victory in Detroit was Smith’s 20th start in Seattle since taking over for Russell Wilson, and I find it fairly amazing that Smith is every bit the player in his first 20 games that Wilson was in his last 20 in Seattle.
Wilson’s last 20: 11-9, 99.8 rating, .649 completion rate, 4,339 yards, 35 TD, 9 Int.
Smith’s first 20: 10-10, 101.1 rating, .700 completion rate, 4,722 yards, 33 TD, 11 Int.
After a poor season-opening loss to the Rams, Smith said he and Bobby Wagner spoke to the team. Have fun and play with swagger, Wagner said. Stay connected and play for each other, Smith said. Team things. “This is only our second game together, because teams change every year,” Smith said after the game Sunday. “We’re finding out about each other and we’re learning about each other. One of my messages is to keep our composure all the way through the game. Like, my message in the huddle when we get across the 50 and the drive is getting toward the goal line, I tell the guys, ‘Take a deep breath. Calm down. Relax. Just execute.’ I try to be the thermometer in the huddle. Make sure everyone’s cool, so we can get our jobs done. On the [game-winning] drive in overtime, I could feel it—everyone knew we’d score. It’s the confidence you gotta have. That’s super fun, right? You get the ball in your hands at the end of a game. That’s what you live for and you dream about as a kid, the opportunity to go win the game. It’s so much fun.” And that’s the guy you want in your huddle, piloting your team.
