National NFL analyst on Geno Smith: 'Not a one-off'
Mina Kimes offers her perspective on why Seahawks quarterback isn’t a one-and-done.
The story of Geno Smith is one that is so unusual to the football world.
Quarterbacks aren't supposed to have their best years after fizzling out at their first stop, nor after turning 32 years old, yet that is the case with Smith. For his performance, he earned comeback player of the year honors. But the narrative around Smith is changing. There are some who don't believe Smith can be a quality starter for the next three seasons. However, Mina Kimes, of ESPN, holds a belief that Smith's great year isn't a one-off and he can still get better.
"Part of the reason why I think Geno's performance is not a one-off and that regression isn't, or at least dramatic regression, doesn't loom is that this is a guy who really didn't get a chance for many years," Kimes said on the Locked On Seahawks podcast. "His career arc in the NFL was very unusual. So it wasn't like he was terrible for five years and suddenly had this big breakout. He literally did not play for many years, or just in spots starts here and there, which suggests that he wasn't given an opportunity."
When Smith was a starter in New York, he struggled. In 29 starts, he completed less than 60 percent of his passes and threw 34 interceptions compared to just 25 touchdowns. He clearly wasn't going to be a franchise quarterback.
After failing around the NFL for a number of years, Smith got another opportunity to be a starter with the Seahawks, and he seized that opportunity by the neck. In his one year as Seattle's starter, Smith excelled throwing from a clean pocket. He ranked second in completion rate (74.6 percent), third in touchdown passes (25), fifth in yards per attempt (7.8), and fifth in big-time throws from a clean pocket, according to Pro Football Focus.
"He played in a way that I think usually bodes well for the future, which is he was very good inside a clean pocket, which tends to be a stable statistic year to year," Kimes said. "He was accurate."
Accuracy is just one aspect of his game, however. Through the draft, Seattle gave Smith new weapons. The Seahawks drafted Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was a slot receiver at Ohio State University.
With three good receivers — Smith-Njigba, D.K. Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett — Smith has what he needs to succeed in the 2023 season. And with the assurance that he will be around for at least three more seasons, he has the security he needs to play with only football on his mind.
As Kimes asserts, Smith isn't a one-and-done. He has so much more left to prove.
Feature image via Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports.
