Seahawks 'Snake-Bit' QB Geno Smith 'Too Aggressive,' Must Play Smarter vs. 49ers
RENTON, Wash. - Even as the Seahawks have swooned in the second half of their schedule so far with three losses in their past four games, Geno Smith has continued to play at a high level under center.
But while Smith has thrown 10 touchdown passes and eclipsed 300 yards passing twice in those four games, the veteran signal caller has been less efficient and more charitable giving away the football as of late. Admitting he's been "snake-bit" by being too aggressive recently, including throwing a pair of ugly interceptions in Seattle's 30-24 loss to Carolina on Sunday, he's aiming to rein things in a bit with a critical rematch against San Francisco's stingy defense looming on Thursday night.
"We’ve been out there going after it, really being aggressive, and to me, I think I have been too aggressive as of late," Smith stated prior to Tuesday's practice. "So I have to get back to what I was doing early on which was taking what they give me and allowing us to have a complementary football team where we all play together and not feel like we are just trying to push the envelope or trying to push our limits to see what we can do.
"We know what we can do, but we have to stay on schedule.”
While Smith has heroically kept the offense afloat with his arm and legs, staying ahead of the sticks has been a major problem at times for the Seahawks amid their current slump. In back-to-back losses to the Buccaneers and Raiders, they converted on only four out of 18 third-down opportunities, failing to sustain drives and help keep their maligned defense off the field. Though those numbers improved the past two weeks, they still only converted one out of six third down tries in the second half on Sunday.
Playing a role in these struggles, Smith has seen an uptick in critical mistakes after doing an exceptional job taking care of the football in the first half. According to Pro Football Focus, he has uncorked 10 turnover-worthy throws in Seattle's past four games alone after making only 12 such throws in the first 10 games. Against Carolina, he lucked out only throwing two picks on five turnover-worthy throws, as cornerback Jaycee Horn nearly registered a second interception against him in the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, Horn did pick off Smith on the Seahawks first play from scrimmage after dropping back from his flats assignment and the Panthers immediately capitalized with a touchdown pass from Sam Darnold on the next play, giving the Panthers a quick 10-0 advantage. Moments later, the deficit increased to a 17-0 hole that the Seahawks couldn't quite climb out of.
Not making excuses and shouldering the blame in defeat, Smith confessed circumstances partially of his own doing led to him taking more chances aiming to make big plays to will his team back into the game.
“I’ve just been playing to win. Obviously, we were down early in that game, so part of that was my mistake early on," Smith explained. "When you are trying to get back into a game, you don’t want to throw a checkdown and feel like you are giving up, so you are trying to make a big play or get things going, get some momentum.
"I have to get back to what I was doing ... I have been a little more aggressive than usual, so I have to be smarter.”
But in his defense, Smith has had minimal support from the run game, as injuries and inconsistent play up front have prevented them from finding the offensive balance coach Pete Carroll desires. Missing starter Ken Walker III and DeeJay Dallas due to ankle injuries, Seattle couldn't even muster 50 rushing yards and failed to hit 70 yards on the ground for the third time in four games.
Still, when asked if the lack of a run game to complement him has led to his over-aggression, Smith didn't play the blame game and instead held himself accountable for making better decisions with the football moving forward.
“I don’t think so and that shouldn’t be the case," Smith responded. "It really should just be me out there playing and doing the right thing every single play. ... Playing smart football, getting the ball in the hands of our playmakers, being on time, protecting our offensive line, and I think things will work out.”
With four games left to play and the playoffs still within reach, Smith doesn't need to reinvent the wheel. Ever since Carroll and offensive coordinator took the training wheels off after Seattle's Week 2 loss to San Francisco, he has been one of the most prolific passers in the entire NFL and ranks in the top five in completion percentage, touchdowns, and passer rating.
Even considering his increase in turnovers in the past four games, Smith still completed 68 percent of his passes and his passer rating suffered a minimal drop from 107.2 to 105.9 during that span. Since Week 10, his 10 touchdown tosses ranks third in the league and per PFF, he has completed the fifth-most "big time" throws, indicating he's still connecting on difficult downfield completions on a consistent basis.
For Smith and the Seahawks offense to rediscover their mojo, he simply needs to shore up his reads and while he won't stop being aggressive seeking plays downfield, he vows to be more willing to take the checkdown if that's what defenses present to him.
“It's ... not trying to force the issue,'' Smith said. "I haven’t done that much, but there have been some cases where I have been snake-bit by being a little too aggressive. It’s just taking what they give us, and if I have to check it down, check it down.”
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