Geno Smith already showed a side of him that fits the Raiders identity perfectly, and it was before he even played a snap vs. Seattle
Geno Smith had a little situation before the preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Las Vegas Raiders went into Seattle for their first preseason game, one that was pretty highly anticipated.
When you bring the greatest head coach to ever coach for the Seahawks, on a different team, back to the city, there will be some storylines. When you bring the quarterback who had taken them back to the postseason after resurrecting his career with the Seahawks, back to the city on a different team, there was bound to be some type of storyline.
The Raiders went in and finished with a tie, which isn’t ideal, but when you look at the way the game started for the Raiders, it’s super ideal. The fact that the guys fighting for roster spots were able to do what they did is super impressive.
But what happened before the game, before it even kicked off, is a story in itself. And, it seems to be what most are talking about.
Geno Smith and Maxx Crosby show what the Raider Way of old would do
Back in the day, being a Raider used to mean something — there was an identity attached to your name and team. You were nasty, hard-nosed football players who didn’t give a damn about anything but winning and the culture. To be honest, we haven’t seen that in some time with the Raiders.
The closest thing we have seen to that in recent memory would be Maxx Crosby. He embraces it to the fullest. And, he helped introduce Geno Smith, the Raiders’ new quarterback, into that.
Before the game, when the Raiders were getting ready to run onto the field while in the tunnel, Smith saw a sign from a Seahawks fan that read “Bigger bust: Geno Smith, or JaMarcus Russell,” you know, JaMarcus Russell as in the former No. 1 pick by the Raiders.
The answer is obvious, not to be disrespectful to Russell. But Smith was a second-round pick and is now currently a top-15 quarterback in the league.
Smith and Maxx Crosby didn’t like that sign very much, so they did what the Raiders of old would have done. They flipped the guy off right to his face. Yes, there are going to be some people out there who don’t like it or think that it doesn’t represent the shield well. But who cares? The guys are letting everyone know that they don’t care — they’re just here to win.
