'Trust In Our Process': Seahawks QB Geno Smith Still Bullish On Offense Despite Struggles
RENTON, Wash. - On a weekly basis since Week 1, Geno Smith has had to face the music regarding an underperforming Seattle Seahawks offense that has yet to discover an identity, resorting to the same response with slightly different verbiage each time.
Whether struggling to convert third downs, failing to finish in the red zone, or enduring long droughts without scoring a touchdown, Smith has always pointed to execution, often taking the sword himself for Seattle's underwhelming results. Coming off another poor performance in a 31-13 loss to San Francisco last Thursday night, the quarterback's message remained much the same speaking with reporters on Monday with a solution yet to be found.
“If I had the answer, we would have solved that a long time ago," Smith said. "I think overall, it’s the inconsistencies and our play from a down-to-down, situation-to-situation standpoint. It’s one or two plays here each and every game and one or two mistakes that cost it. It’s a game of inches as they like to say. We have to make sure that every single time we go out there, we’re on it. We can’t take any breaks, we can’t relax, we can’t be inconsistent, and it starts with me like I always say.”
After finishing ninth in the NFL in scoring last season, expectations were sky-high for Smith and the Seahawks entering 2023. With star receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett teaming up with rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba, running backs Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet forming a dynamic one-two backfield punch, and a strong tight end group returning, the quarterback looked to have all the pieces around him for the team to be even more potent in coordinator Shane Waldron's offense.
But through 11 games, Seattle has been anything but prolific. Even with the additions of Smith-Njigba and Charbonnet to a talented skill player group, the team currently ranks 18th in points per game and 21st in total yardage. Unfortunately, instead of gradually improving and finding an identity as the season unfolds, things only seem to be getting tougher on Smith and his teammates.
Over the past four games, the Seahawks have managed to score only three offensive touchdowns, including being shut out of the end zone completely by the 49ers on Thanksgiving. In three of those four contests, they failed to score a touchdown in the second half, exacerbating an issue that has plagued the offense all season long, as they have scored just nine touchdowns in 22 quarters of play after halftime. They also have converted only 13 out of 53 third downs in the past month, which has been a significant factor in the inability to punctuate drives with points.
For his part, Smith certainly deserves some blame for Seattle's recent offensive funk. Since the calendar flipped to November, he has completed just 61 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and two interceptions for an 83.5 passer rating, failing to come anywhere close to the numbers he posted in his breakout Comeback Player of the Year season a year ago. Additionally, he has turned 37 third down pass attempts into just 10 first downs with a subpar 56 percent completion rate.
Though factors out of his control have negatively impacted his play, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith hasn't been able to rediscover the magic of his breakout 2022 season through 12 weeks.
© Steven Bisig, USA TODAY
Poor blocking up front hasn't helped Smith or the rest of the offense either. Still without starting right tackle Abraham Lucas, the Seahawks have started eight different offensive line combinations in 11 games and as of late, the quarterback has been under increasing duress taking 13 sacks in the past four weeks alone. The run game has been largely non-existent as well averaging just 76 yards on the ground per game in that span.
Despite those persistent woes, however, Smith hasn't lost confidence in himself or the players around him. Knowing how well Seattle's offense performed last season with the same cast of players and coaches, he remains hopeful the unit will be able to get rolling starting on Thursday night in Dallas to start a playoff push.
"I trust in our process, I believe in the players around me, I believe in the coaches, I believe in myself," Smith remarked. "For us, it just gets back to doing what we do, which is playing good football, playing sound football, and knowing that we can execute. That’s the reality, being confident in that. I’ll always remain confident in myself, but I’m going to continue to preach that I’m even more confident in the guys around me, and I know that we all collectively can get it done. That’s where it lies."
Considering how badly Seattle's offense has floundered as of late, fans may have a difficult time agreeing with Smith's optimism. But there are plenty of reasons to believe the group still has time to find traction and start playing to its potential, starting with improving health along the offensive line.
Out since Week 1 with a knee issue that required an injection, Lucas returned to practice earlier this month and after being a full participant in Tuesday's practice, he looks to be trending towards playing on Thursday night. Getting the former Washington State standout back in the starting lineup would be a huge boost for an offensive line that has struggled mightily replacing him with three different players earning multiple starts at right tackle.
With pass blocking re-emerging as a growing concern in recent weeks, Lucas should be able to immediately help shore up protection for Smith while also bringing some nastiness in the trenches that should provide much-needed juice for the run game. His presence also will give Waldron a bit more leeway calling plays, opening up a playbook that has been limited at times by line play.
Away from Lucas being back in the fold, Smith-Njigba continues to take on a bigger role in Seattle's offense. Since the Week 5 bye, he has reeled in 26 catches for 344 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and as the smooth route runner draws more attention from defenses doing damage out of the slot, Lockett and Metcalf should see more ideal looks in coverage, opening up the entire passing attack.
For his part, Smith wants to do a better job of processing his reads and getting the football out of his hands in a timely manner to throw his playmakers open and get to work in space. Over the past four games, per Pro Football Focus, he has had the ball in his hands for 2.72 seconds per drop back, which ranks 10th out of 27 qualified quarterbacks, so the processing aspect looks to be the biggest issue rather than amount of time in the pocket.
As evidenced by a couple of scrambles against the 49ers last week, including a key first down run in the third quarter to set up a Jason Myers field goal, Smith also has been making a concerted effort trying to integrate his running ability more when situations allow him to.
“Without looking at the rush or trying to abandon my reads, I’ve been trying to find those areas in the game where I can steal some first downs and some yards here and there," Smith said. "I know that it is an emphasis for other defenses to keep me contained in the pocket, so they try to not let me get out of the pocket as much. I’m always trying to find that, that’s important. The more I can run and use my legs, the more the defense has to pay attention to that. As much as I can, within the scheme of the offense, try to get out and get some yards.”
When it comes to trying to sort out Seattle's offensive issues, there's never been any question about the team's talent on that side of the ball. When playing at their best, Metcalf, Lockett, and Smith-Njigba stack up against any receiving trio in the league. Walker and Charbonnet possesses unique, complementary skill sets that should serve the team well establishing a quality run game, while Noah Fant, Will Dissly, and Colby Parkinson have the tools to be a three-headed tight end monster if utilized properly.
And, as Smith demonstrated last season and has flashed in spurts this year, including throwing for a career-high 369 yards in a win over the Commanders in Week 10, he's more than capable of thriving in the role of facilitator orchestrating Waldron's offense and possesses the arm talent to maximize his receiving weapons.
Of course, great skill player talent only can go so far if the offensive line isn't allowing time for Smith to throw or creating room for Walker and Charbonnet to work with out of the backfield. After an underwhelming month from a game planning standpoint, Waldron has much left to prove in the next few weeks as well and needs to do a better job setting up his quarterback and the rest of the offense for success as a play caller.
From Smith to Waldron to the receivers to the offensive line, everything continues to boil down to consistency. It may sound like a broken record at this point, but for the Seahawks to have any shot at turning things around before a once-promising season gets away from them, everyone has to execute to the best of their ability and cut down on the mistakes that have hurt the team on a weekly basis, starting with the quarterback under center.
"Just two weeks ago, I passed for the most yards I’ve ever passed for in my career. We just have to be better at being more consistent, and it starts with me. I have to be better overall. I’m working my tail off trying to get that done. We know what we have inside this locker room. It doesn’t always show up every single play, every single week, and that’s something we have to work on and be better at.”
