Wyman: How Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald can help Geno Smith

The Seattle Seahawks have a new head coach, but will they have a new starting quarterback?

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Mike Macdonald comes to Seattle after spending nine of the last 10 years as a defensive staff member in Baltimore. The Seahawks have a starting quarterback in place in Geno Smith, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be the guy going forward.

Former NFL linebacker Dave Wyman discussed how Smith and Macdonald can fit together during Friday’s Wyman and Bob on Seattle Sports.

“I think one of the best things that could possibly happen is if in the first meeting that Geno sits in a room with Mike Macdonald, he says, ‘How did you do that to me?'” Wyman said.

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What Wyman is referring to is the Seahawks’ 37-3 loss to the Ravens in early November.

Going up against a Macdonald-led Ravens defense, Smith had maybe his worst start as a Seahawk, completing 13 of 28 passes for 157 yards. He was constantly under pressure and he threw an interception and lost a fumble.

“That was one where I know a lot of people were on Geno. I didn’t (think that). I know (former head coach Pete Carroll) didn’t feel like it was Geno’s (fault),” Wyman said. “I mean, he could have obviously played better, but there were a lot of things that (Macdonald’s defense) did to him that really kept him sort of off balance. And I feel like that’s something that will help him a little bit.”

Macdonald also praised Smith during his introductory press conference, pointing out that he’s back at the Pro Bowl. Macdonald also said that after the Ravens beat the Seahawks, he went up to Smith and told him how much he respected him for his journey from longtime backup to established NFL starter.

“The other thing I like hearing from Macdonald is he likes Geno. And that’s half the battle,” Wyman said. “I mean, you get your quarterback and the guy that you believe in.”

Macdonald also mentioned Smith’s backup, Drew Lock, during his introductory press conference, though Lock is a pending free agent.

“If you like your quarterback and your backup quarterback, that’s a pretty good place to be,” Wyman said.

Wyman thinks people have been “pretty harsh” on Smith since he wasn’t as good in 2023 as he was in 2022.

“He’s kind of middle of the road, but he’s a good player,” Wyman said. “The year before he had a really good year and we’ve sort of washed all that away.”

Now, Smith potentially gets a bit of a fresh start with Macdonald, and Wyman thinks that could especially help the veteran quarterback.

“I think for Geno, it’s really going to be nice having Mike Macdonald come in with fresh eyes and then kind of help him a little bit about what defenses are looking at, I think that would be a tremendous resource for Geno Smith,” Wyman said.

Listen to the full second hour of Friday’s Wyman and Bob at this link or in the player near the top of this story.

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