Seahawks QB Geno Smith 'Difference'? 3 Steps to Improving in 2023
With a new three-year contract in tow, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith isn't letting the success of a breakout 2022 campaign and a big paycheck change how he operates rolling into a new season.
Unlike this time a year ago when he was locked into a battle against former Broncos starter Drew Lock to replace franchise legend Russell Wilson, Smith enters his fifth season with the Seahawks as the undisputed starter after winning Comeback Player of the Year honors and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. Thriving in offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's system, he tossed 30 touchdown passes and led the NFL with a completion percentage nearly hitting 70 percent while guiding his team to an unexpected playoff berth.
But while Smith may not have to worry about Lock or undrafted rookie Holton Ahlers this time around, the veteran quarterback knows better than to rest on his laurels. Believing he still hasn't come close to hitting his ceiling as a player and feeling he has much left to prove, he's approaching Seattle's offseason workouts with the same mentality he did last spring with the mindset others are gunning for his job.
"If it is different, I just want to work hard and be better," Smith told reporters last week following Seattle's third OTA practice. "That's really it. But in my mind, I keep the same mentality, Drew and I and Holton, we are competing our butts off and that's competition every day. We're trying to see who is the best quarterback out on the field every single time."
If anyone understands the importance of not becoming complacent or taking a situation for granted, Smith's past experiences have prepared him well. After starting his first two seasons in New York, he suffered a broken jaw prior to the 2015 season when a teammate punched him in the face, leading to veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick seizing the job while leading the Jets to a 10-win season.
While the 32-year old Smith shouldn't have to worry about that happening again as one of the team's locker room leaders, he's eager to prove his outstanding production from a year ago for the Seahawks wasn't a fluke and reward the Seahawks for their faith in him. With a couple new weapons at his disposal in receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and running back Zach Charbonnet, he's confident he will play even better in his third year operating Waldron's scheme.
Looking towards his second season as Seattle's starting signal caller, where must Smith take positive steps forward to join the NFL's elite quarterbacks and position his team for a potential Super Bowl run?
1. Cutting down on turnover-worthy throws and better overall decision making.
For most of Smith's breakthrough 2022 season, the veteran quarterback did a superb job of limiting turnovers and protecting the football. In Seattle's first 10 games, he only threw four interceptions, which tied for the fourth-fewest among qualified signal callers according to Pro Football Focus. But he regressed in that category in the second half, throwing seven picks in the final seven regular season games, tying for third-most in the NFL.
Diving deeper into the numbers, Smith's uptick in interceptions as the season progressed should have been expected. Per PFF, in the first 10 games as Seattle raced out to a 6-4 start, he uncorked 13 turnover-worthy throws, tying for eight-most among NFL quarterbacks. With only 30 percent of those bad passes turning into actual turnovers, no player in the top 10 was as fortunate as Smith, with Derek Carr and Jacoby Brissett being the only other ones with five or fewer interceptions from that group.
After the midway point of the season, those fortunes regressed back to the mean with Smith leading the entire NFL with 16 turnover-worthy throws and seven interceptions in the Seahawks last seven games. With opponents cashing in 43 percent of the time for turnovers, questionable choices with the football hurt the quarterback and his team down the stretch and not surprisingly, they only won three of those final seven games before sneaking into the postseason.
Facing a difficult schedule, including facing all four teams in the highly-competitive AFC North division, Smith acknowledged after a wild card loss to the 49ers that he must do a better job playing "smarter" at the quarterback position. If he can eliminate some of the poor decisions that dogged him at times last season, particularly in the final two months of the season, the offense as a whole should be even more prolific after finishing in the top 10 in points scored last season.
2. Another step forward from a pocket presence standpoint eliminating sacks.
Before Smith beat out Lock last summer, he had his first audition as starting quarterback for the Seahawks replacing an injured Wilson during the middle of the 2021 season. While he impressed with his accuracy and threw five touchdowns compared to just one interception in four games, Carroll acknowledged that he took too many sacks, including fumbling on a strip-sack in overtime during a loss to the Steelers. In those four games, per PFF, he was charged with responsibility on 15.3 percent of allowed pressures, eighth-highest among quarterbacks in that span.
In his first full season as a starter, even while playing with two rookie tackles, Smith made marked improvements overall in regard to pocket presence. While he was under pressure 182 times, the sixth-most among quarterbacks in the league, he was a respectable 12th overall (13.2 percent) for responsibility on those pressures. That was nearly five whole percent less than Wilson, who earned a reputation for holding onto the ball too long during his 10 seasons with the team.
But while Smith made strides a year ago, he still took 11 sacks and a costly fumble in the red zone against the 49ers in the playoffs showed there is still much room for him to improve being alert to oncoming pressure. With Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas entering their sophomore seasons poised to take a major leap forward and reinforcements coming in the interior of the offensive line, protection should be better by default, which should help his cause lowering pressure and sack numbers.
3. Improved efficiency as an intermediate passer to the sidelines and middle of field.
Picking up where Wilson left off, Smith torched opponents all year long as a deep ball passer, throwing an NFL-best 14 touchdowns and posting a gaudy 120.2 passer rating on passes traveling 20 or more yards. According to PFF, no quarterback in football had more "big time throws" in the downfield passing game, as he was credited with 31 such throws while throwing only two interceptions.
But while Smith excelled as a deep passer all season long throwing to star receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and also performed well in the quick passing game on short throws less than nine yards, he wasn't near as consistent on intermediate throws. In fact, he ranked among the NFL's worst on passes traveling between 10 and 19 yards in many categories, including ranking 15th out of 22 qualified quarterbacks with a 57.9 percent completion rate and tying for fourth with six interceptions.
In addition, per PFF, Smith threw 16 turnover-worthy passes on 126 pass attempts in the intermediate game, four more than the next quarterback (Tom Brady) on the list. His 11.3 percent turnover-worthy throw rate was nearly three whole percent ahead of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones on those pass attempts. If there's a silver lining, however, he did throw 13 touchdown passes traveling 10 to 19 yards, second behind only Bills star Josh Allen.
With an eye on 2023 and beyond, the Seahawks hope the arrival of Smith-Njigba, a savvy slot receiver with excellent route running skills and after the catch capability, will make life easier for Smith attacking the middle of the field. A second season working with tight end Noah Fant should also pay dividends in this regard, setting him up for better overall success in the intermediate passing game and hopefully better third down efficiency as a consequence.
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