After years of serving as a backup quarterback, Seattle Seahawks signal caller Geno Smith is experiencing a breakout season.
With a 31-21 victory against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9, Smith has won as many games this season as he had as a starter in the previous seven years combined.
It’s safe to say that coaches are taking notice — even coaches that aren’t in the NFL or, for that matter, football.
After yet another impressive performance from Smith on November 6, Iona men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino took to Twitter to express how excited he is for the Seahawks quarterback and the lessons that can be learned from his success.
“26-34 passing – really happy for him. Everyone is always in a rush,” Pitino tweeted. “It takes time n practice to reach one’s potential. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way.
“Go get ’em Geno!!!!”
.@GenoSmith3 26-34 passing – really happy for him. Everyone is always in a rush. It takes time n patience to reach one’s potential. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way. Go get ‘em Geno!!!!
Smith took the time to respond to the famous college basketball coach.
“Thanks Coach! Big fan of yours.”
Everything Coming Together for Smith in 2022
Quarterbacks taking years to develop into stars used to be a regular occurrence. Terry Bradshaw and Jim Plunkett struggled for years before winning multiple Super Bowls.
Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning combined to win just 3 games during their rookie seasons, and then they both went on to Hall of Fame careers.
But generally, NFL teams don’t utilize the same patience at quarterback as they used to. That was the case with Smith early in his career.
Smith led the New York Jets to an 8-8 record as a rookie in 2013. He posted an NFL-leading 5 game-winning drives that season, but he also had 21 interceptions and took 43 sacks.
In his second season, the bottom fell out for Smith and the Jets, as he posted a 3-10 record with 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He lost his starting job and has served as a backup quarterback for four different teams since then.
But this season, Smith is proving Pitino to be right about how it sometimes takes time to reach one’s potential.
Smith came into the week leading the NFL in completion percentage. He also had 13 touchdowns with only 3 interceptions and a career-high 8.2 yards per pass average.
Against the Cardinals, Smith was outstanding again despite throwing a pick-six. In fact, how Smith responded after the mistake was what was so impressive.
Smith led the Seahawks on three touchdown drives after his pick-six. He finished Week 9 going 26-for-34 with 275 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also had 38 rushing yards.
Geno Smith threw a pick-6 to give AZ a 14-10 lead.
Since then Seattle had a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive and a 13-play, 81-yard scoring drive to go up 24-14 with 7:32 remaining.
That, folks, is grown-man offense.
With his Week 9 performance, Smith has recorded a 100-plus passer rating in six games this season. That’s the most among NFL quarterbacks in 2022.
Geno Smith has 6 games this season with a 100+ Passer Rating.
That leads the National Football League.
Smith’s Fan Base Growing
With Smith experiencing a breakout season, his fan base is hardly just arguably the most controversial men’s basketball coach in history.
First, Smith won over his teammates and then the Seattle fan base with Seattle’s 6-3 start.
@GenoSmith3 Hey Geno. I love you.
Ryan Neal says Geno Smith bouncing back from pick six to lead three straight touchdowns shows “heartbeat of this team.”
He loves the resiliency of this team built around players such as himself and Smith that have scratched and clawed to succeed in NFL.
Smith is now winning over the national media too.
Geno Smith now has 14 TDs this season.
That’s his career high with half a season left to go.
The best deep ball passer this season:
Geno Smith 🚀🚀🚀
Geno Smith is dropping dimes 🎯
(via @NFL)
Geno Smith is going to receive MVP votes. And deserve them.
With their 6-3 start, the Seahawks sit alone in first place of the NFC West, and their next matchup with a team that has a winning record will not come until Week 15 on December 15.
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Seahawks’ Geno Smith Receives Unexpected Message From Controversial Coach