Geno Smith or Shane Waldron: A look at who may be at fault for the Seahawks struggles

The Geno Smith situation

Starting with Smith, he's showing genuine flashes of his early-career self. A guy who has all the arm talent in the world and can make every throw, but also a guy who lacks quality decision-making and improvisation. When Geno Smith is on, he's so enjoyable to watch. When the offense is in rhythm and the offensive line is able to provide a somewhat clean pocket, he can make some incredible throws. But when it's the opposite, and you're asking him to create with his legs, and you're asking him to become a QB that he's not, it can become ugly pretty fast.

That seems to be what Smith's dealing with right now. A bad offensive line that forces him to play under pressure has made him revert to old habits. Trying to make plays that he shouldn't, holding onto the ball too long, things like that are what made Smith ultimately become a bust in New York. And it's what forced him to be a career backup until the Russell Wilson move. Smith is limited, and the situation around him has to be a great one if you want him to produce enough to be a Super Bowl contender.

That isn't always a bad thing though, look at guys around the league like Tua Tagovoiloa, Kirk Cousins, and Jared Goff. These are QBs who are limited in nature, but if you put them in a situation where they can stay steady, play calm, and deliver, they can put up numbers worthy of being paid like a top 10 QB. That's just not what Seattle has and that's partly because of roster construction, and also partly because of their offensive coordinator. Knowing what you have in Geno Smith and putting him in a position to succeed is a huge responsibility of Shane Waldron. And it looked like he did that successfully in 2022, but this season has been a complete turn in the other direction.