Following the Seattle Seahawks’ 27-13 victory over the New York Giants, Geno Smith did not experience exacting revenge over his former staff.
“I’m happy to be here in Seattle,” Smith stated. “I spent one year with the Giants. That year, to me, was like a blur. My life has moved on from then. I don’t have any remorse towards anyone there. In fact, to me, this game was for (former Giants coach) Ben McAdoo and (former GM) Jerry Reese. They believed in me. As far as any other thing, I don’t really care for it. I’m happy to be here in Seattle. It’s like a family here. Feels like home. I’m just enjoying my time here and continuing to work hard with these guys and just trying to be the best we can be.”
During his one season in New York, McAdoo inserted Smith because the starter, breaking Eli Manning’s ironman streak. However, following the Week 13 loss to the Raiders, McAdoo and Reese had been fired, and Manning returned because the starter.
Following that tumultuous season, Smith spent one 12 months because the backup to Philip Rivers with the Chargers. He then moved to Seattle, the place he sat behind Russell Wilson for two seasons.
Now the full-time starter, Smith has shined, main the Seahawks to a 5-3 file, the one staff within the NFC West above .500.
In Sunday’s victory over Big Blue, Smith tossed for 212 yards and two passing TDs with zero INTs for a 104.0 passer score. It marked Smith’s fifth game this season with a 100-plus passer score, most within the NFL. Geno has generated six video games with a number of passing TDs this season — he had seven such video games in his earlier 9 seasons.
“He’s the real deal, we’re seeing it,” coach Pete Carroll stated. “There’s no mystery or, ‘Oh, he’s going to run out of gas or something.’ It’s not like that. He knows exactly what he’s doing and he shows you week in and week out, throw after throw after throw. There’s nothing for us to hold him but in the highest of expectations, really. What a thrilling story for the kid. He just hung in there so tough and outlasted it and now he’s enjoying all the fun of it. He did great.”
The 71-year-old Carroll is delighting in his membership, beginning with Smith, proving all of the preseason prognosticators mistaken. Pegged as a rebuilding squad, the Seahawks have now received 4 of their final 5 video games.
“This is really special,” Carroll stated. “This is a very special opportunity right now. It’s been because of all of the hype and the circumstances and all that and the challenge of it and the doubting and all that kind of stuff.
“You know, all of the people who doubt, such as you’re shedding — we run the ball an excessive amount of, you do not perceive soccer and he cannot keep up with the brand new game and all that type of stuff — that is a bunch of crap, I’m telling you. Look, we’re doing positive. We’re all proper. I do not thoughts proving it day in and day trip.”