Before the Seahawks moved on from quarterback Russell Wilson, they got a glimpse of life without him. While Wilson missed time in 2021 with a finger injury, receiver DK Metcalf saw enough from Geno Smith to know that he could be the guy.
“He had a chance to step in,” Metcalf told reporters on Wednesday. “I knew he was going to be great from the moment he got his chance. He just needed the opportunity. Now he’s just showing everybody what we already knew. I know I keep saying that, but everybody kept writing him off and he just never had a fair shot to just be who Geno Smith really is and we are all seeing him come into his own and be a quarterback leading a franchise, leading an organization, how he wants it to be. It’s just exciting to just see him be more vocal after the games, during the games, and how he interacts with the younger players and everybody else.”
Metcalf said the chemistry has improved since Smith was named the starter.
“The chemistry between me, him, Tyler [Lockett], the O-line, everybody is just gravitating towards him now,” Metcalf said. “And like I said, he is being more vocal. You can really just see who he is as a person and as a competitor out there on the field just by how he is talking more, interacting with people in meetings, asking questions. It’s great to see.”
It’s also great to see Smith being named the NFC (and PFT) offensive player of the week. Metcalf was happy to see Smith “getting the credit that he deserves right now,” and Metcalf hopes that one player of the week award will lead to more of the same.
Smith has become the rare example of a young quarterback with a high draft pedigree (39th overall) whose first stop didn’t work out and who eventually made it work elsewhere. It took a while, but it’s finally happening for Smith, who has been spectacular so far this season as the No. 1 option in Seattle.