Giants HC Brian Daboll Praises Seahawks QB Geno Smith

Smith has found a home in Seattle after fizzling out with both New York teams.

Sep 30, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) throws passes during pregame warmups before their game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Quarterback Geno Smith has rejuvenated his career out in the Great Northwest, where he’s firmly entrenched as the Seahawks' offensive signal caller after fizzling out with the Jets, who selected him in the second round of the 2013 draft and his one season (2017) with the New York Giants.

Smith, who signed with the Seahawks after spending the 2018 season with the Chargers, has been voted to two Pro Bowls since (2022 and 2023) and finished as the league’s completion percentage leader in 2022.

It took time for Smith to find his footing, but Giants head coach Brian Daboll believes that the tough sledding Smith went through earlier in his career laid a foundation he’s now been able to build up.

“Sometimes you go through some tough times,” Daboll said of the 2022 AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year on Wednesday. “He's played football at a lot of different places, and he's a veteran who's really settled in, making really good decisions and throwing the ball well. 

“You can see how he bounces back in games, too. In the first game against Denver, there was a sack on the first play and an interception on the next play. He just keeps on chugging along. I've got a lot of respect for him and his career and journey in this league, as well as how he's playing. It looks like he's leading their team right now.”

Despite the loss on Monday night, Smith, who has a career completion percentage of 68.1% in five seasons for Seattle, has thrown for 9,823 yards, 59 touchdowns, and just 24 interceptions, is off to another hot start, having posted a 72.3% completion rate and already topping 1,000 yards (1,182) through four games.  

Sep 30, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) pressures Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. / Detroit Free Press via Imagn Images

Daboll also praised Smith’s receiving weapons–DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Tyler Lockett, and tight end Noah Fant, adding that Smith “does a good job of getting the ball to those playmakers.” 

Against the Lions, Smith excelled against Detroit’s zone coverage. Smith completed 30 of 36 pass attempts for 302 yards against zone coverage, per NFL NextGen Stats.

Against man coverage, Smith has been even better. Before Monday night’s game against the Lions, he completed 7.35% of his passes against man coverage.

According to Sports Info Solutions, the Giants' defense has deployed zone courage on 58% of its plays this season, 16th most in the league. This makes this weekend’s match a potential nightmare for the Giants. 

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