Seahawks OC Shane Waldron talks where Geno Smith can grow

One of the best stories in football last year was the play of Geno Smith as quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks.

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After having not been a full-time starter for the better part of a decade, Smith became the successor to Russell Wilson after the latter was traded to Denver last offseason.

All Smith did in his first season starting for the Seahawks was lead the NFL in completion percentage and rank among the league’s best in yards and touchdowns. That earned Smith his first Pro Bowl not and a three-year contract extension this offseason.

“It was fun to let him take it and really see his confidence unwavering throughout his time and really show up on the field,” Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron told Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Wednesday.

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Waldron shared what has stood out about Smith in their two years working together as well as where the quarterback can continue to grow.

“I think Geno has really maintained that hunger, that chip on his shoulder and that work ethic. He came in right away at the beginning of our offseason program here in great shape, ready to throw – in really midseason throwing shape – and really took the step early on now have taken on that leadership role that he left off with at the end of the season,” Waldron said. “So it’ll be exciting to see Geno. I think hard work pays off for everybody. And all he’s done since he’s gotten this opportunity to is work harder and harder. It was fun to watch him continue to grow. And I think everyone in this league, every player and coach, can always grow every season. I think he’s continued to do a good job, especially in this offseason program.”

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“I think every rep you get at the quarterback spot is another chance to bank a memory of how a play went down or how coverage played out. And I think every every live game rep that he’s able to stack is just one more that he can put in the memory banks that might come up, because a lot of these situations may only come up once or twice throughout the course of an entire season. So the more of those that he can stack, the more moments in the fourth quarter of the Rams game for example or you know some of those those critical crunch time situations … those are great moments for him to keep learning from and growing from and taking those times when he was able to execute at a high level and then apply him again in the future.”

“Anytime at the quarterback spot he can have some anticipation prior to the snap of what’s about to happen, that’s going to be an advantage. It’s such a hard position to play, there’s so many nuances and so many variables every single snap that I think the more he can have those experiences, the more times that that he’s able to live through some different situations, I think those are just those are things that he can stack and learn from and we’ll move forward in a positive direction with.”

Listen to Waldron’s full interview with Brock and Salk at this link or in the player below.

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