Tag: Geno Smith

Seahawks OC Ryan Grubb on Geno Smith: “He’s a humble guy and wants to be coached”

Seahawks OC Ryan Grubb on Geno Smith: “He’s a humble guy and wants to be coached”

For only the fourth time in the last 13 years, the Seattle Seahawks have a new offensive coordinator. Former Washington Huskies OC Ryan Grubb has made the jump from college to the NFL, and with him brings a certain level of excitement not felt for this position for quite some time.

Grubb’s offense was dynamic at Washington for the last two years, and now he has an opportunity to show what it can do at the professional level. Of course, he will need an effective quarterback to lead it, and it seems he might have one.

Grubb was effusive in his praise for starter Geno Smith, who in turn has been nothing but complimentary of Grubb’s system. Seattle’s offensive coordinator recently spoke about what he likes in Smith, and it is everything you’d want a coach to mention about your quarterback.

The emergence of Geno Smith as a viable NFL starter has been one of the more surprising and inspiring stories around the league for the last two years. Smith went from being a draft bust, to perpetual backup, to bonafide Pro Bowler. He is even making the case he is one of the better quarterbacks in Seahawks franchise history.

Grubb’s system is predicated on efficient quarterback play, where the signal caller is closer to a point guard, distributing the ball to other playmakers. This is how Michael Penix Jr. found success with the Huskies, and it is how Smith will likely fare as a quarterback of a similar mold.

In each of the two years Smith has been a starter for the Seahawks he has qualified for the Pro Bowl. Under Grubb, I would not be surprised if he was able to make it three years in a row.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Seahawks reunite with former second round pick Marquise Blair

Former Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner No. 59 on NFL Top 100 list

Seahawks extend safety Julian Love 

Mike Macdonald gives update for tackle Abe Lucas

Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett with a remarkable TD at training camp

Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett with a remarkable TD at training camp

Oh man, does it feel great to have football back? The Seattle Seahawks are in the early stages of training camp and the practice highlight reels are already steadily releasing.

One of the more exciting ones was a touchdown from wide receiver Tyler Lockett. Stop me if you heard this one before: Lockett with an incredible reception in the endzone!

Lockett hauled in this pass from quarterback Geno Smith, and it appears the 31-year old still has it.

Last season was the first time since 2018 that Lockett did not eclipse 1,000 yards receiving. Still, his 79 receptions for 894 yards and five touchdowns is hardly anything to scoff at. It was certainly more than enough to push him into No. 2 all time in receptions and receiving yards in Seahawks franchise history, behind only the legendary Steve Largent.

Lockett recently signed a restructured extension, two-years worth up to $29.66 million. With that contract, we will likely see a few more remarkable touchdowns from Lockett as a Seahawk.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Seahawks reunite with former second round pick Marquise Blair

Former Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner No. 59 on NFL Top 100 list

Seahawks extend safety Julian Love 

Mike Macdonald gives update for tackle Abe Lucas

Watch: Seahawks QB Geno Smith sits down for one-on-one interview with King 5

Watch: Seahawks QB Geno Smith sits down for one-on-one interview with King 5

We are officially entering into year three of the Geno Smith era. Who could have guessed the long time Seahawks backup would end up a two-time Pro Bowler, a Comeback Player of the Year, and knocking on the door of being statistically one of the five best quarterbacks in franchise history?

The journey for Smith has been a long one, and it is entering into a brand new chapter with the assention of Mike Macdonald as the newest head coach. Alongside Macdonald will be offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who guided the Washington Huskies to being arguably the best offense in the nation last year.

Smith recently sat down with King 5’s Paul Silvi, and right off the bat Smith was discussing the innovations of Grubb’s offense. In fact, Grubb is introducing plays Smith and the rest of his teammates have never seen before. The entirety of Smith’s conversation with Silvi can be seen below, and it is worth the time to watch. Smith and Silvi go on to discuss Grubb, Smith’s journey from college to the pros, and some of his more memorable sound bites from last year.

One notable moment I found interesting is the reasoning as to why Smith chose No. 7 as a jersey number. All throughout college, Smith was No. 12, but once he was drafted to the Jets, that number was not an option thanks to it being retired in honor of Broadway Joe Namath.

Instead, Smith chose No. 7 in honor of his grandmother, as she was born on June 7th, and passed away on June 7th of his senior year in college. Smith’s grandmother is clearly someone he thinks about. Recently, a highlight reel from the 2012 Orange Bowl floated through Twitter, one of Smith’s greatest collegiate moments. Yet, all Smith mentioned was how it was the final game his grandmother got to see him play live.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Seahawks T Abe Lucas and six others to start on PUP list

What to expect from linebacker Tyrel Dodson

4 rookies to keep an eye on during training camp

Seahawks sign UFL WR Marcus Simms

Panthers great Jake Delhomme forecasts a breakout season for Bryce Young

Jake Delhomme thinks Panthers HC Dave Canales will push Bryce Young to a breakout season.

Jake Delhomme’s path into the NFL was pretty much the polar opposite of Bryce Young’s. But the 1997 undrafted free agent probably knows a breakout when he sees one—and he sees one coming with the 2023 No. 1 overall pick.

The Carolina Panthers great and Hall of Honor member joined Tuesday’s episode of The Zach Gelb Show, where he spoke about his old team’s new man under center. And with new head coach and possible quarterback whisperer Dave Canales at the helm, Delhomme thinks Young is primed for an exciting 2024 campaign.

“I truly believe you’re gonna see what you saw with Geno Smith two years ago in Seattle, when he had that kind of resurgence of his career under Canales,” Delhomme told Gelb. “I think Baker [Mayfield] last year—Baker did a great job. Some of my notes as I look back last year when we played Tampa—is that Baker is getting the ball out quick, he’s very decisive, he’s gettin’ it out quick, he’s taking shots when he has to. But he was moving, he was getting rid of the football—and that’s something that Dave incorporates. And I believe you’re gonna see that in this offense.”

Smith’s resurgence went down in 2022, when Canales served as the quarterbacks coach for the Seattle Seahawks. He threw for career-highs in yards (4,282) and touchdowns (30) while leading the entire NFL with a completion rate of 69.8 percent.

The results were very similar for Mayfield this past season, with Canales as his offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay. Baker also hit bests in passing yards (4.044), passing touchdowns (28) and completion percentage (64.3).

Fortunately, there’s essentially nowhere to go but up for Young—who averaged just 179.8 passing yards per contest with 11 touchdowns as a rookie. But how high can the former Heisman Trophy winner go?

If you believe a certain underdog quarterback, get ready to look towards the sky.

[lawrence-related id=699718,699439,698412]

Geno Smith is an incredibly accurate passer

Geno Smith is an incredibly accurate passer

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith may never get the recognition he truly deserves. Perhaps it is by nature of all Seattle athletes, as it is the most geographically isolated market in the NFL. Or maybe it is everyone’s preconceived notion of how Smith was as a young player with the New York Jets, then constantly bouncing around the league as a backup.

Regardless, Smith is an objectively good thrower of the football. Smith’s raw statistics may have regressed from 2022 to 2023, thanks to two games missed with injuries and an inconsistent offensive game plan each week, but diving deeper paints a different picture.

On Twitter, NFL analyst Warren Sharp broke down the numbers for highest incompletition rate for quarterbacks due to inaccurate passes. The tweet itself is below, but you are going to have to open it up for yourself and scroll quite a ways down to see where Smith ranks on this list.

Smith is far from a perfect quarterback, and there is still room for improvement even at this stage in his career, but he is still a clear cut starter in this league. The two-time Pro Bowler was far from the biggest concerns with the Seahawks offense last year, and stands to have the largest boost under new coordinator Ryan Grubb in 2024.

Grubb’s offense requires the quarterback to be a point guard, essentially. Distributing the ball efficiently to the playmakers in the offense. This is how Michael Penix Jr. had so much success with Washington the last two years. Certainly, Grubb can find a way to make such an accurate quarterback get the ball to where it needs to go – namely, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Noah Fant.

More Seahawks Wire stories

4 rookies to keep an eye on during training camp

NFC West Watch: 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk requests trade from San Francisco

Lions to honor Calvin Johnson Jr. during Week 4 vs Seahawks

Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders compared to Geno Smith

Seahawks Top 10 salary cap hits

Seahawks Top 10 salary cap hits

The Seattle Seahawks are not totally in a pickle when it comes to finances, but they are getting close. Recently, I wrote about how the Seahawks were listed as a top landing spot for Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon should New England decide to move on from their pass rush specialist. However, I mentioned the move would be unlikely due to Seattle’s salary cap constraints.

Taking a closer look at the Seahawks situation, they do not have a ton of wiggle room when it comes to spending. Right now, they have only $8,488,020 in cap space, per Over The Cap. At the moment the only teams with less cap space than Seattle are the Broncos, Jets, Panthers, Ravens and Falcons.

How is the used up cap space being distributed for the Seahawks? Currently, here are the Top 10 players taking up most of the cap for Seattle.

Geno Smith taking up the most makes sense. He is the quarterback, and while $26 million is nothing to scoff at, by NFL standards is quite a bargain when it comes to starters. DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, even with his recent new contract, still make sense given how vital they are to this offense.

Where things start to get a little sticky is when it comes to Dre’Mont Jones. Jones, entering into year two of his three-year, $51.5 million dollar contract, is making a healthy chunk of change. Unfortunately, his play on the field last season did not really justify such a lofty investment. Hopefully, head coach Mike Macdonald is able to fully utilize Jones in the way we all hoped he would become.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Is Jeff Bezos finally making a move to buy the Seattle Seahawks? 

History is not kind to those who lose their Super Bowl debut

Seahawks named as potential destination for Pats LB Matthew Judon

Seahawks likely to face Jacoby Brissett when they play the Patriots

Panthers HC Dave Canales has high praise for Geno Smith

Panthers HC Dave Canales has high praise for Geno Smith

The Seattle Seahawks have arguably one of the more underappreciated starters at quarterback. Geno Smith, a two-time Pro Bowler and 2022 Comeback Player of the Year, has led Seattle to back to back winning seasons and set an NFL record for five-game winning drives last year. Yet, he still largely goes untalked about on a national level, and when he does, it is often dismissive.

However, there are those who certainly understands the skillset Geno Smith brings to the Seahawks. Current Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales recently sat down with Peter Schrager on his podcast, and naturally Canales’ time in Seattle was brought up. Canales’ meteoric rise to the head coach position began as a quarterbacks coach for the Seahawks. His final season with Seattle was in 2022, where he witnessed the emergence of Smith.

Canales’ comments in full can be seen in the tweet below.

Under Canales’ tutelage, Smith had the best season of his career thus far. His 2022 season saw him pass for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns against only 11 interceptions. His 2023 numbers did take a bit of a hit. Injuries, offensive inconsistencies, and perhaps even the absense of Canales himself (who went on to the be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator) all contributed to Smith’s statistical regression.

Still, Smith has all the physical tools and offensive weapons to forge another strong season. Hopefully, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb can help find a way to get Smith and the offense rolling in a more consistent fashion in 2024.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Is Jeff Bezos finally making a move to buy the Seattle Seahawks? 

History is not kind to those who lose their Super Bowl debut

Seahawks named as potential destination for Pats LB Matthew Judon

Seahawks likely to face Jacoby Brissett when they play the Patrio

Geno Smith reminisces about the 2012 Orange Bowl and his grandmother

Geno Smith reminisces about the 2012 Orange Bowl and his grandmother

In many ways, 2012 feels like it was yesterday, and in others, a lifetime away. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith took to Twitter on his trip down memory lane in regards to the 2012 Orange Bowl.

Winding the clock back, a young Geno Smith was merely a junior at West Virginia. Smith had helped guide the Mountaneers to a respectable 9-3 regular season record as co-champions of the Big East. The calendar had barely flipped to January, and West Virginia was about to take on Clemson in the Orange Bowl.

Clemson, No. 15 was the designated home team and a three-point favorite. What happened next ended up being one of the most lopsided bowl games in recent memory.

Smith absolutely torched the Tigers, completing 32-of-43 passes for 407 yards and six touchdowns. Smith also racked up an additional 26 yards on the ground as well as a rushing touchdown. It was the first time a team had scored 70 points in a bowl game, and it was a record that stood until Army matched the total in the 2018 Armed Forces Bowl.

As for Smith’s personal connection, the memory of his grandmother seeing the last game of his live will surely be the thing he remembers most. January 4th, 2012 is certainly one of the more memorable moments in his career and life in football.

More Seahawks Wire stores

Seahawks gift Russell Wilson a throwback jersey

Marshawn Lynch to start podcast with California Governor Gavin Newsom

Mike Macdonald has serious plans for DT Dre’Mont Jones

Jerry Rice’s final career TD was as a Seahawk

5 Seahawks players facing make-or-break seasons

Watch: Geno Smith is a master at avoiding sacks

Watch: Geno Smith is a master at avoiding sacks

Geno Smith is a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, led the NFL in game-winning drives last year with five (a league record, by the way), and even set the Seahawks single-season passing yards record.

Yet there are still plenty of folks who do not have faith in him as a starter, even perhaps those among the 12th Man. The Seahawks offense was nowhere near as potent or consistent as it was in 2022, but that was hardly the problem of Geno Smith.

Seattle’s offensive line was decimated by injuries from literally the first week. Smith, and Drew Lock for two games, were constantly running for their lives as best they could. Still, what Smith was able to work with despite a sieve up front remains impressive.

The Seahawks took great lengths during the draft to make sure they had an improved line. They selected the best guard available in Christian Haynes, then picked Sataoa Laumea, a four year starter from Utah.

Hopefully with Haynes and Laumea supporting a healthy Charles Cross and Abe Lucas the Seahawks can avoid a similar situation in 2024.

More Seahawks Wire stores

Seahawks gift Russell Wilson a throwback jersey

Marshawn Lynch to start podcast with California Governor Gavin Newsom

Mike Macdonald has serious plans for DT Dre’Mont Jones

Jerry Rice’s final career TD was as a Seahawk

5 Seahawks players facing make-or-break seasons

Fantasy football preview: Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks

Geno Smith gets some competition, but will it even matter in fantasy football?

The Seattle Seahawks were expected to make a big splash were they parted with Russell Wilson in 2022. Instead, then-head coach Pete Carroll said he had the replacement in-house – veteran journeyman Geno Smith.

Smith was a pleasant surprise in 2022, throwing for almost 4,300 yards and 30 touchdowns. He took a backward step in 2023, dropping to 20 touchdown passes in 15 games. With Carroll gone, the loyalty to Smith isn’t as strong and the Seahawks showed that by swinging a trade with the Washington Commanders to acquire Sam Howell, who started every game last year.

For now, it is Smith’s starting job to lose, but the front office has made it clear that there is a succession plan in place.