Geno Smith, the dual threat quarterback, meeting with Seahawks
Seattle is suddenly in need of a backup quarterback, and so the parade of applicants begins. Geno Smith, tell us where you see yourself in five years.
As the Seahawks cut Trevone Boykin yesterday, Seattle finds itself without a backup quarterback on the roster. We mused over a few possibilities yesterday, some names much less palatable than others. One name not on that list was Geno Smith, the former quarterback for both New York teams.
Geno Smith came into the league as one of the top quarterback prospects. In his senior season of 2012 he completed 72 percent of his passes for over 4,200 yards. He threw 42 touchdown passes and just 6 interceptions. Sound incredible, until you notice that was in the Big 12 conference. In the Big 12, quarterbacks can throw for 1,500 yards from the bench. At least it seems that way.
Regardless, the Jets liked what they saw and took him in the second round. They anointed him their starter. Mark Sanchez had lost his appeal, his offensive coordinator (and apparently much of his talent) the previous year. Could it be that Sanchez was better under Brian Schottenheimer, who just happens to be the Seahawks offensive coordinator now? I digress.
What matters is that Geno Smith was given the keys to an underperforming Jets offense. New York had a terrible passing offense, and Smith didn’t make it any better. Jeremy Kerley was the top receiver in targets, catches and yards. Bonus points if you ever heard of him before he landed with the 49ers two years ago. Let’s just say Geno Smith didn’t have lot of talent around him.
Geno Smith wasn’t exactly great, anyway
So it’s fair to say Smith didn’t exactly have a Ferrari at his command. You could say had a bare base model Ford Focus at his command. I’m not knocking it, Ford fans, I used to drive one. The problem is, Smith made it run like a Pinto.
In his rookie year, Geno Smith threw 12 touchdowns and was picked off 21 times. In his sophomore season he got things a bit more under control. His touchdowns and interceptions stood even at 13 apiece. After that season, the Jets had seen enough. They dumped their long-time coach Rex Ryan, who seemed to never get the concept of offense. When Smith tore his ACL, new coach Todd Bowles turned the reins over to Ryan Fitzpatrick. All the Harvard lad did was turn the NFL’s worst passing offense (in yardage) into the 13th best. Smith was done as a starter.
He played out his four year contract with the Jets, then signed with the Giants for 2017. For the first time in his career, he manged to go an entire season without throwing an interception. Granted, he only threw 356 passes, but he had a pick in his final season with the Jets despite only attempting 14 passes.
Geno Smith is a dual threat quarterback, alright
Which leads me to the description of Smith as a dual threat quarterback. In his rookie season he ran 72 times for 366 yards and six touchdowns. That’s an excellent performance for a quarterback, no doubt. The problem is, he never came close to duplicating that. The following season saw his average rush drop from 5.1 yards to 4.0, and his touchdowns from six to one. He was never much of a threat on the ground in college, either. He never had more than two rushing touchdowns, and his highest average per carry was 2.3 yards,that coming in his senior season.
Geno Smith’s real dual threat is getting picked off or getting hurt. In five years he made no less than 18 appearances on the injured list. I suppose it isn’t fair to hold him accountable for getting sucker punched by a teammate and having his jaw broken, though. Then again, some reports show he provoked the punch. Okay, that’s on Smith after all.
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So what do you need in a backup quarterback? Two things above all: a guy who stays healthy, and a guy who doesn’t turn the ball over. Smith doesn’t ring the bell on either of these. Smith may see himself guiding the Seattle Seahawks to a third straight Super Bowl victory in five years, but I see him coaching wide receivers at the University of West Virginia. If he’s lucky.