A lot about being an athlete is the desire to prove people wrong. That’s likely very true for the NFL quarterbacks who were expected to be good coming out of college but struggled for whatever reason.
Many of those signal callers remain in the league and just have to wait for their next shot.
For Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, that wait was seven years. From 2015-21, he started only five games, and never more than three in an individual season.
In 2019, he didn’t take a single snap during a regular season game.
But Smith was never discouraged, and he wouldn’t change the experience he received. He expressed those ideas in a very humbling response to a question about whether he ever grew frustrated about not getting another chance as an NFL starter for so long.
“I can’t say it was tough [being a backup] because I have been so blessed,” Smith told the media on December 8. “Honestly, my tough times would be a dream to someone else.
“I never will look at it as something that was too hard for me or really tough because throughout that time, I still still enjoying my life and still in the NFL.
Smith Breaking That ‘Glass Ceiling’
It took Smith just eight games this year to match his previous career high of 13 touchdown passes. After 12 contests, he’s thrown for 3,169 yards, which is his most in a single season.
Smith is averaging 8.1 yards per pass, which is 1.2 yards greater than what he averaged during his first and second NFL seasons — the last time he was a regular starter. He’s also tossed just 6 interceptions.
He threw 34 interceptions in his first 30 games.
It’s been an incredible transformation for Smith this season — one that he’s been waiting for the opportunity to do.
Although he was thankful to still be in the league as a backup after losing his starting job, Smith still possessed the desire for a chance to prove he was a better player than what he showed in 2013 and 2014.
“For the most part, it was just feeling like there was a glass ceiling, and you want to break that ceiling,” Smith said. “It’s something hovering over you that you just want to break, so you can continue to grow further.
“For me I just had to stay patient until I had the opportunity.”
That opportunity finally came after the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson in March. Smith went 23 of 28 for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns in a victory against Wilson during Week 1, and he’s never looked back this year.
Smith Facing Former OC Ben McAdoo in Week 14
The 32-year-old quarterback will continue his comeback tour next against one of his former head coaches who employed him as a backup signal caller for the New York Giants in 2017.
In fact, Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo once benched two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning in favor of Smith.
That decision was highly controversial. Manning had started 210 consecutive games, which was the second-longest streak for a quarterback in NFL history at the time.
But Manning had a 51.6% completion percentage with no touchdowns and 2 interceptions while averaging 5.1 yards per pass in Weeks 11 and 12 of 2017. So Giants head coach McAdoo elected to start Smith in Week 13.
Smith went 21-for-34 with 212 yards and a touchdown, but the Giants lost 24-17. Facing a lot of public backlash, McAdoo went back to Manning in the starting lineup the following week.
Smith backed up Philip Rivers with the then San Diego Chargers in 2018 and 2019, but he didn’t get much playing time. Rivers passed Manning on the consecutive games started by an NFL quarterback list with 240 consecutive starts, so Rivers’ backups never played much.
On his next stop, Smith arrived in Seattle before 2020. Ironically, Wilson was in the middle of a consecutive games started streak at the time, but a finger injury during 2021 finally gave Smith an opportunity to start.
Smith performed well in 2021 and now has really taken off this fall. In Week 14, McAdoo will get to witness the veteran signal caller’s potential he perhaps saw five years ago.
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Seahawks’ Geno Smith Gives Eye-Opening Response to Backup QB Question