Mountaineers in the Pros
Geno Smith Talks New Era for Seahawks: ‘Iron Sharpens Iron’
Geno Smith always makes sure to keep a positive attitude, and that’s exactly what he’s trying to convey early in training camp.
In an interview with the NFL Network’s Taylor Bisciotti, Smith talked about his role to help guide the Seahawks as the franchise embarks on a new era with a new head coach.
“It’s been awesome. Coach (Mike) Macdonald, he’s the best, man. He’s putting his stamp on the team. We’re flying around. We are working, we are getting the job done that we need to get done. We have got to win for him. I think everyone has bought in. We are ready to go out there and put on a show,” said Smith about his first camp experience with Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald.
Macdonald was hired by Seattle after the moving on from longtime coach Pete Carroll in January.
Smith even used the phrase “iron sharpens iron” to describe going up against his team’s defense in practice.
“Iron sharpens iron.” @GenoSmith3 and the @Seahawks are pushing one other to be at the next level. 😤 @TaylorBisciotti pic.twitter.com/d2r13VkkEN
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) July 27, 2024
As he prepares for his 11th NFL season, Smith instantly started working on his connection with his receivers during the first day of training camp on Wednesday.
In a clip posted by Brady Henderson, who covers the Seattle Seahawks for ESPN, Smith can be seen tossing lasers to DK Metcalf, Jake Bobo and Cody White.
To Smith’s credit, he worked with several of his top targets throughout the offseason. A video even surfaced of Smith firing a perfect deep ball to second-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the duo worked on routes together earlier in the month.
With some expecting Seattle to turn to the much younger Sam Howell if things go south for the Seahawks, Smith knows 2024 will be a pivotal season in his career as he looks to continue being a QB1.
Smith finished the 2023 season with 3,624 passing yards, 21 total touchdowns and nine interceptions. Smith also completed 64.7% of his passes in 15 games. Smith’s efforts earned him a Pro Bowl invitation for the second straight year. In 2022, Smith won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award with over 4,000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns.
Even though Smith’s 2023 season was a drop in production and success from his remarkable comeback story of the year before, Smith still kept the Seahawks in playoff contention until the last week of the regular season.
In typical Geno Smith fashion, he kept his season in perspective after the season finale despite missing the playoffs.
“Circumstances shouldn’t dictate your mood or your effort. We fight no matter what,” Smith said after Seattle’s 21-20 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Smith was responding to a question about how he stayed motivated after learning his team no longer had a chance to return to the postseason.
For a related story, Seattle’s general manager pushed back when asked about the possibility of Smith as a backup.
Follow WV Sports Now for more of our coverage of WVU legend Geno Smith throughout the rest of training camp and into another NFL season.
