Latest / Seahawks Press Pass / Geno Smith: "I'm Getting Better Every Day"
Transcript
- 0:01Speaker 1: Well, how how are you feeling, Jato.
- 0:02Speaker 2: Uh yeah, I'm uh getting better every day, you know,
- 0:05Speaker 2: looking forward to Sunday.
- 0:07Speaker 1: When you got your leg twisted, you fear something worse.
- 0:11Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I was, uh definitely like uh one of
- 0:13Speaker 2: those scary falls where you know, just didn't know what
- 0:16Speaker 2: was going on, but definitely didn't feel uh stable enough
- 0:18Speaker 2: to get back out there.
- 0:20Speaker 1: Mike said, you were, you know, trying at some point
- 0:22Speaker 1: to get back in.
- 0:23Speaker 3: Just what are those conversations like where it's obviously you
- 0:25Speaker 3: wanna be out there, but you also trying to take
- 0:26Speaker 3: care of yourself.
- 0:27Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 0:27Speaker 2: I think that's the toughest thing, is like, you know,
- 0:29Speaker 2: trying to fight the competitiveness, you know. Uh you know
- 0:32Speaker 2: once before I told my acl and I actually was
- 0:35Speaker 2: trying to go back in that game, you know, so
- 0:37Speaker 2: you know, I'm always gonna you know, be precautionary, you know,
- 0:40Speaker 2: just because uh I feel like I tolerate pain well,
- 0:42Speaker 2: and uh, if I can do anything to get back
- 0:44Speaker 2: out there, I will. You know, just felt like, you know,
- 0:46Speaker 2: it's a decision made that you know it was best
- 0:48Speaker 2: to not you know, you know, risk it anymore.
- 0:50Speaker 3: There was a moment there where it looked like you
- 0:52Speaker 3: grabbed your elan that you were ready to go back
- 0:54Speaker 3: on the field, and did you did you feel like
- 0:55Speaker 3: you were about to?
- 0:56Speaker 1: Yeah, I was trying.
- 0:57Speaker 2: I was trying to you know, I was trying my
- 0:58Speaker 2: best to get out there, just you know, had to
- 1:00Speaker 2: make a decision in that moment.
- 1:02Speaker 1: And just to clarify, do you do you expect to
- 1:04Speaker 1: play something?
- 1:05Speaker 2: Uh?
- 1:05Speaker 1: Yeah, yes, I I do. I I is it accurate
- 1:08Speaker 1: to say you gonna be less than a hundred percent
- 1:09Speaker 1: not fully recovered?
- 1:10Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean we've been you know, a lot of
- 1:12Speaker 2: guys are less than a hundred percent. I've you know,
- 1:14Speaker 2: been that way, do you know pretty much the majority
- 1:16Speaker 2: of the season. That's just the way the NFL goes.
- 1:19Speaker 2: But uh, no excuse is gotta go out there and perform.
- 1:22Speaker 1: Do you know you you pop back up there initially?
- 1:24Speaker 3: Did you know right away it was his biggest thing
- 1:27Speaker 3: or or did it take a couple of seconds to
- 1:28Speaker 3: kind of ring thirty of it?
- 1:30Speaker 1: Yeah?
- 1:30Speaker 2: Yeah, once I put pressure on it and uh got
- 1:32Speaker 2: up and stuff.
- 1:33Speaker 1: You know, I just you know, felt it there.
- 1:36Speaker 3: What did you think of how the offense was uh
- 1:38Speaker 3: performing before you got hurt?
- 1:39Speaker 1: Yeah?
- 1:39Speaker 2: I thought we Uh I thought we were moving the ball.
- 1:42Speaker 2: It seems like all year right like twenty to twenty, Man,
- 1:44Speaker 2: we moved the ball. We're we're doing a lot of
- 1:47Speaker 2: good things in the play Action game. You know, we
- 1:49Speaker 2: ran the ball pretty well, got a couple you know,
- 1:51Speaker 2: big runs when I was in there, and I just
- 1:53Speaker 2: felt like we didn't finish again, you know, in the
- 1:54Speaker 2: red zone once we get you know, past the fifty
- 1:57Speaker 2: yard line. Uh, we we gotta execute little bit there.
- 2:00Speaker 2: So I just felt like we didn't finish when we
- 2:02Speaker 2: had our opportunities early on.
- 2:03Speaker 3: How do you feel about that that part of the
- 2:05Speaker 3: game is where you guys are not consistent, particularly at
- 2:07Speaker 3: this time of year.
- 2:08Speaker 1: Yeah, it's just something to work on. Man.
- 2:09Speaker 2: It's something that we gotta strive to perfect. We gotta
- 2:12Speaker 2: get better at it. You know, we've gotta execute better.
- 2:16Speaker 2: It always goes back to that. I always say this, man,
- 2:18Speaker 2: Like the coaches can only do so much for us.
- 2:20Speaker 2: We gotta go out there and we gotta play the game.
- 2:22Speaker 2: And so yeah, it's something that I'm I'm working hard on,
- 2:25Speaker 2: studying and doing everything I can to make sure that
- 2:27Speaker 2: we can uh get better in that area. It's something
- 2:30Speaker 2: that I feel like we we definitely need in order
- 2:32Speaker 2: to go where we want to go.
- 2:33Speaker 3: When you do, you know, when you look back on
- 2:35Speaker 3: the interception, what what stood out to you about that
- 2:38Speaker 3: about that play?
- 2:39Speaker 1: Maybe what you saw with that one?
- 2:41Speaker 2: Uh yeah, I mean the corner was man doub was
- 2:43Speaker 2: man coverage, Uh one double they were doublin dk Uh,
- 2:45Speaker 2: so basically cover zero for everyone else to the field.
- 2:48Speaker 1: I felt like Noel won on this route.
- 2:50Speaker 2: You know, I gave him a ball that was catchable,
- 2:51Speaker 2: and uh, the corner wheel back he was covering lock
- 2:54Speaker 2: wheel back and made a heck of a play. You know,
- 2:58Speaker 2: always gonna say that. You know, I got the ball,
- 3:00Speaker 2: I got the decisions to make, and uh, whenever it's
- 3:02Speaker 2: a interception, you know it's gonna be graded as a
- 3:05Speaker 2: negative decision. You know, if that guy to make that
- 3:08Speaker 2: play and Noah catches a touchdown, then you know it's
- 3:10Speaker 2: a positive. So I think again, just focusing on the process,
- 3:13Speaker 2: making sure I'm reading the right things right keys, and
- 3:15Speaker 2: you know, doing the right things, and uh, most importantly
- 3:18Speaker 2: protecting the football.
- 3:20Speaker 3: Minnesota's defense obviously has been doing a lot of things
- 3:22Speaker 3: well this season.
- 3:23Speaker 1: Just what when you put on the table, what jumps
- 3:24Speaker 1: up Yeah. I mean they're uh, first of all up front.
- 3:27Speaker 2: Man just got a lot of stout guys up front,
- 3:29Speaker 2: a lot of veteran guys in their secondary. Uh, they
- 3:32Speaker 2: do a lot as far as you know, uh personnel,
- 3:34Speaker 2: different fronts. They like to show you a lot of
- 3:36Speaker 2: different blitz looks. Uh, try to confuse the quarterback in
- 3:39Speaker 2: that way. I think they have a you know, a
- 3:41Speaker 2: really good scheme, really good playing.
- 3:42Speaker 1: Uh.
- 3:43Speaker 2: Coach Flores has done a great job with those guys.
- 3:45Speaker 2: You know, it's something that we've been you know, kind
- 3:47Speaker 2: of similar to Arizona, you know where it's gonna be
- 3:49Speaker 2: like blitz bl bluff Bandit is a a period that
- 3:52Speaker 2: we have in practice in Uh is it cover zero?
- 3:54Speaker 2: Are they going back to cover two? Are they spinning
- 3:56Speaker 2: it to cover three? A lot to decipher, try to
- 3:59Speaker 2: put pressure on the quarterback in that way.
- 4:01Speaker 1: Uh, they've done a great job. How did did did
- 4:04Speaker 1: things change? It? All? I told who got hurt? Hurt?
- 4:05Speaker 1: And you had that go with Jalen or how did
- 4:07Speaker 1: you feel like kind of things?
- 4:08Speaker 2: You know, I thought Jalen did a outstanding job. You know,
- 4:12Speaker 2: all along we've always spoken highly of him and uh,
- 4:14Speaker 2: he he's been so professional, he's he he's a young guy,
- 4:17Speaker 2: but he's got you know, such a wise demeanor to him.
- 4:20Speaker 2: And so you know, I thought he stepped in, he
- 4:21Speaker 2: was calm, you know. Uh, I thought he you know
- 4:23Speaker 2: that that w uh one touchdown that sharp and they
- 4:26Speaker 2: had you saw him out there leading that and uh,
- 4:28Speaker 2: you know he knew the assignment. He was getting the
- 4:30Speaker 2: guys lined up. You know, he's communicating well and Uh
- 4:33Speaker 2: I was really happy for him to get out there
- 4:35Speaker 2: and show what he's got.
- 4:36Speaker 1: What challenges three different centers presented you this year?
- 4:39Speaker 2: Uh, you know, it's it's football, man. You got guys
- 4:41Speaker 2: in and out the lineup.
- 4:42Speaker 1: Uh.
- 4:43Speaker 2: We would like to have a lot more stability there,
- 4:45Speaker 2: but that's that's the way the game goes.
- 4:47Speaker 1: Man.
- 4:47Speaker 2: Guys are fighting their butts off and at times, you know,
- 4:50Speaker 2: get injured and other guys that got to step up.
- 4:52Speaker 2: So you know the challenge is to to go out
- 4:54Speaker 2: there and execute, no matter who's out there. And uh,
- 4:56Speaker 2: that's something that I take pride in. So there'll never
- 4:59Speaker 2: be an excuse for any thing like that for me.
- 5:02Speaker 3: How would you visit uh at the Children's hospital earlier
- 5:04Speaker 3: this week? Uh?
- 5:05Speaker 1: That wa that was awesome. You know I was right
- 5:08Speaker 1: after the injury.
- 5:09Speaker 2: I I was able to go out there and you
- 5:10Speaker 2: know kind of s you know, see the kids and
- 5:12Speaker 2: you know, for.
- 5:13Speaker 1: About a hour.
- 5:13Speaker 2: I wanted to be there for two hours, but you know,
- 5:15Speaker 2: obviously had to get back to recovery. But you know,
- 5:18Speaker 2: I felt like it was healing me, you know, just
- 5:20Speaker 2: being around uh all those smiling faces and uh, you know,
- 5:23Speaker 2: being able to kind of spread some Christmas cheer, some
- 5:25Speaker 2: holiday cheer.
- 5:26Speaker 1: Uh man.
- 5:27Speaker 2: It's it's just one of those things where you know,
- 5:29Speaker 2: as an athlete, it just warms your heart, you know,
- 5:32Speaker 2: the more that you can go out there and do
- 5:33Speaker 2: those things and and be a part of the community. Uh,
- 5:36Speaker 2: uplift people, you know, it's it's what it's all about.
- 5:38Speaker 1: The first time you had to sea Attle Children's with
- 5:40Speaker 1: Russell Wisselm. No, it wasn't in sit in Seattle. No. No,
- 5:46Speaker 1: what do you get out of that personally?
- 5:48Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, just like I said, just being able
- 5:51Speaker 2: to number one, you know, uplift you know those in need.
- 5:55Speaker 2: You know a lot of kids have to spend their
- 5:57Speaker 2: holidays in the hospital. You know, you can just think about,
- 5:59Speaker 2: you know, how how trying that is for them. And
- 6:01Speaker 2: their families. And there was one specific kid who couldn't
- 6:04Speaker 2: leave his room that I was able to go and
- 6:06Speaker 2: you know, deliver some gifts to him, and uh he's
- 6:08Speaker 2: a big Seahawk fan, big dk Metcalf fan, and uh,
- 6:11Speaker 2: you know, it's just one of those things where for me,
- 6:14Speaker 2: the more that I can get out and just lend
- 6:16Speaker 2: a helping hand, try to put some smiles on some faces,
- 6:19Speaker 2: you know, be a part of the community.
- 6:21Speaker 1: Uh. This this community that uh that.
- 6:23Speaker 2: Supports us so well and that we we represent just
- 6:26Speaker 2: means the world, you know, really means the world. I know,
- 6:28Speaker 2: my mom's happy, my grandmother's happy that I'm able to
- 6:30Speaker 2: do that.
- 6:31Speaker 1: What's the most memory reaction again to remember.
- 6:34Speaker 2: A long time.
- 6:34Speaker 1: Uh, it was, uh, you know, just the kids seeing Santa.
- 6:37Speaker 2: You know, a couple of kids were saying, you know,
- 6:39Speaker 2: because a lot of people go down to the mall
- 6:41Speaker 2: and they take pictures with Sanna, and uh, the kids
- 6:43Speaker 2: are like, no, we can stay here. You know, Santa's
- 6:45Speaker 2: coming to see us. And you know, just for the
- 6:47Speaker 2: kids to be able to you know, tell Santa what
- 6:49Speaker 2: they wanted for Christmas, and you know, for me to
- 6:51Speaker 2: be a part of that and just help them, you know,
- 6:53Speaker 2: try to uplift their spirits. I mean, that's that's what
- 6:55Speaker 2: you know means the most of me.
- 6:57Speaker 1: Genadan as a team talk about that because there's a
- 7:00Speaker 1: lot of.
- 7:00Speaker 3: Players that are doing that. They do want to echo Glan.
- 7:03Speaker 1: Is that something in manifest and discuss. Yeah.
- 7:06Speaker 2: I think all the guys you know, you know, and
- 7:08Speaker 2: you to talk about Chenna, you know, being the Walter
- 7:10Speaker 2: Payton Man of the Year nominee and just the stuff
- 7:14Speaker 2: that he's done in the community. But we all want
- 7:16Speaker 2: to strive for that. That's something that I want to
- 7:17Speaker 2: be nominated for.
- 7:18Speaker 1: You know.
- 7:18Speaker 2: We all want to be a part of the community,
- 7:20Speaker 2: and uh, you know, we wanna be supportive because they're
- 7:23Speaker 2: so supportive of us and so uh, we all in
- 7:26Speaker 2: the locker room on the team want to be a
- 7:27Speaker 2: big part of the community.
- 7:29Speaker 1: Uh.
- 7:29Speaker 2: They mean so much to us and we wanna continue to, like,
- 7:32Speaker 2: you know, bring that together.
- 7:33Speaker 3: You know, much has been made throughout the season about
- 7:36Speaker 3: the number of opposing fans out in midfield.
- 7:39Speaker 1: I know you waited and a waiting on it.
- 7:41Speaker 3: A little bit out of the Buffalo game, DK waiting
- 7:44Speaker 3: on it yesterday.
- 7:44Speaker 1: I'm just curious now that you just got one home
- 7:47Speaker 1: game left. What have you thought about that situation and
- 7:49Speaker 1: what would you like to see different?
- 7:51Speaker 2: You know, I one thing about it, Like when I
- 7:53Speaker 2: was on other teams, you know, before I got to
- 7:56Speaker 2: the league. Uh, there was always always the the aura
- 7:59Speaker 2: of the of the twelfth Man, and playing in Seattle
- 8:03Speaker 2: has always been like a tough task for anybody, and
- 8:05Speaker 2: I think it still is, you know, as far as
- 8:08Speaker 2: like opposing fans and ticket sales. I mean, you can't
- 8:11Speaker 2: really control that, you know, that's not in our control.
- 8:13Speaker 2: But what we can do is go out there and
- 8:16Speaker 2: be the best team at home, you know, and and
- 8:18Speaker 2: give our fans something to cheer about, give them something
- 8:21Speaker 2: to you know, want to pack the stadium and be
- 8:23Speaker 2: a part of it. And like I said, they've been that,
- 8:25Speaker 2: you know since I've been here, before I got here,
- 8:28Speaker 2: and I think that'll be long after I'm gone. You know,
- 8:30Speaker 2: this fan base is one of the best. And uh,
- 8:33Speaker 2: like I said, man, the more we win, the more
- 8:35Speaker 2: that atmosphere gets crazier and crazier. So that's something that
- 8:38Speaker 2: we're building we're working towards.
- 8:41Speaker 1: Like on Monday, said that you were back in.
- 8:42Speaker 3: You were back in just kind of doing your regular
- 8:44Speaker 3: routine and everything, your workout and stuff like that. Yes, sir, yeah,
- 8:47Speaker 3: I mean so from from the start of the week,
- 8:48Speaker 3: you kind of had it in your mind that you'd
- 8:49Speaker 3: be able to overcome.
- 8:50Speaker 1: This and kind of play. Yeah.
- 8:51Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, honestly, I you know, I really wanted
- 8:54Speaker 2: to get back out there on Sunday.
- 8:56Speaker 1: But you know, these things happen.
- 8:58Speaker 2: Man, Like everybody's gonna through something, and uh, you know,
- 9:01Speaker 2: I wanna be be the guy who's known for, you know,
- 9:03Speaker 2: pushing through, and so I wanna finish the season, uh
- 9:06Speaker 2: on the r on the right note, and I wanna,
- 9:07Speaker 2: you know, make sure that we get every opportunity we
- 9:09Speaker 2: can to uh close it out the right way.
- 9:11Speaker 1: What what do you think of the play itself that
- 9:13Speaker 1: you got hurt on.
- 9:15Speaker 2: I mean, there's a lot to be thought of. You know, Honestly,
- 9:19Speaker 2: they didn't call a flag, so I'm not complaining.
- 9:21Speaker 1: It is what it is.
- 9:23Speaker 3: Considering where you guys are in the playoff picture and
- 9:25Speaker 3: how many games are left, I feel like there's a
- 9:26Speaker 3: sense of urgency this week to win against the Vikings,
- 9:29Speaker 3: particularly since it's your last home games.
- 9:31Speaker 2: Well, yeah, yeah, there's definitely a sense of urgency, and
- 9:33Speaker 2: uh that's every week, you know, that's every week. We
- 9:35Speaker 2: gotta take that approach every single week. We've been all
- 9:38Speaker 2: we've been talking about being in playoff, molding all those things.
- 9:40Speaker 2: But yeah, last home game, big game against a really
- 9:44Speaker 2: good team. We look forward to it and uh, you know,
- 9:46Speaker 2: our last home game of the season.
- 9:48Speaker 1: Possibly.
- 9:48Speaker 2: Uh so we'll we'll, we'll see how it goes, but yeah,
- 9:51Speaker 2: we wanna make sure that we go out there and
- 9:52Speaker 2: we put on a good show for our fans.
- 9:54Speaker 1: Do you know as a.
- 9:55Speaker 3: Leader this team, how much you take it up out
- 9:56Speaker 3: of yourself to get back onto few left of injuries,
- 10:00Speaker 3: prepare after losses, those kinds of things. How much of
- 10:03Speaker 3: that do you take upon yourself?
- 10:05Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's a big part of the NFL.
- 10:07Speaker 2: You know, it's it's the ups and downs of it.
- 10:09Speaker 2: It's the you know, the wins, the losses, the injuries,
- 10:12Speaker 2: the knicks, the bruises. You know, those are the things
- 10:14Speaker 2: that make this game so special. It's the adversity that
- 10:16Speaker 2: you face and you got to push through. You know,
- 10:18Speaker 2: I think I'm a living example of some of that,
- 10:20Speaker 2: and uh, you know, I just want to continue to
- 10:22Speaker 2: be the same way you know, if I can go
- 10:23Speaker 2: out there and help my guys in any way, shape
- 10:25Speaker 2: or form, that's something I'm gonna do. I'm always gonna
- 10:28Speaker 2: try and push through injury. I was just I've always
- 10:30Speaker 2: been that way, you know, I just want to go
- 10:31Speaker 2: out there. I love playing the game, and uh, you know,
- 10:33Speaker 2: I just want to make sure that I'm you know,
- 10:35Speaker 2: giving myself every opportunity to be successful, but also my teammates,
- 10:39Speaker 2: and that's a big part of it. Like you said, man,
- 10:41Speaker 2: just pushing through things and being available.
- 10:44Speaker 3: As a quarterback has kind of have the scared journey
- 10:46Speaker 3: you've had.
- 10:47Speaker 1: Do you pay close attention whether quarterbacks I think like
- 10:49Speaker 1: Darno Old, the guy you.
- 10:51Speaker 2: Know, maybe didn't succeed early on, had to be back.
- 10:53Speaker 1: Up, and now he's thriving.
- 10:54Speaker 3: Do you pay attention to those guys kind of reform?
- 10:56Speaker 1: Of course? Of course.
- 10:57Speaker 2: You know, A big fan of Sam's. You know, I'm definitely, uh,
- 11:00Speaker 2: always rooting for him, except for Sunday obviously, but you know,
- 11:03Speaker 2: I think, you know, he's done a phenomenal job this season.
- 11:06Speaker 2: He's in a great system, he's he's he's on a
- 11:08Speaker 2: great team, and he's he's leading that team. You know,
- 11:10Speaker 2: I think he's done a phenomenal job. We we share
- 11:13Speaker 2: the uh, the one thing in common that we both
- 11:15Speaker 2: were drafted by the Jets, and so that's always gonna
- 11:18Speaker 2: be something that gets talked about. But I followed his
- 11:20Speaker 2: career since he was at USC. I thought it was
- 11:22Speaker 2: a great prospect coming out battle through some stuff, getting
- 11:26Speaker 2: the opportunity kind of similar to what I went through.
- 11:28Speaker 2: And uh, it's good to see guys get those opportunities.
- 11:30Speaker 2: And I think he's done, he's done well with it.
- 11:32Speaker 3: You talked a lot to the referee after hits.
- 11:35Speaker 1: You got hit quite a bit after throwing against the Packers.
- 11:37Speaker 1: Is there a hierarchy think in the league of quarterbacks
- 11:40Speaker 1: that get those calls and those that don't.
- 11:42Speaker 2: Uh, I mean that's a question for the ref So honestly,
- 11:44Speaker 2: that's a question for the league. But I mean you
- 11:47Speaker 2: can look at cases where the same thing happens and
- 11:50Speaker 2: some guy gets the call, some guy doesn't. They're humans,
- 11:53Speaker 2: you know, We'll leave it at that. But yeah, I
- 11:56Speaker 2: mean it's like the the Jordan thing. You know, Jordan
- 11:59Speaker 2: used to get all the files from Times and other
- 12:00Speaker 2: guys didn't. So maybe I'm maybe I'm not there yet.
- 12:03Speaker 2: Gotta keep working, do.
- 12:04Speaker 3: You know, kind of going back to MICUs of your
- 12:06Speaker 3: question about the red zone struggles, You've had a few
- 12:08Speaker 3: picks down there this year, I guess w when you
- 12:10Speaker 3: think back to those situations, is there anything you kind
- 12:12Speaker 3: of take away from those moments.
- 12:13Speaker 1: When you kind of analyze yourself. Yeah, again, process over results.
- 12:18Speaker 2: You know, I think as long as you stick to
- 12:20Speaker 2: the process, the results will come. You know, over the
- 12:23Speaker 2: course of my time here, I've been exceptionally well in
- 12:25Speaker 2: the red zone.
- 12:26Speaker 1: This year not so much.
- 12:28Speaker 2: So you gotta gotta fix some things, gotta gotta figure
- 12:31Speaker 2: out some things. And uh, we're doing that internally and
- 12:34Speaker 2: and I'm doing that myself, and so we're we're looking
- 12:36Speaker 2: to improve on those, you know, the red zone. You
- 12:38Speaker 2: never wanna have turnovers, and I feel like that's happened
- 12:41Speaker 2: to us too far, too many times. And I'm the
- 12:44Speaker 2: main culprit. So I gotta fix that, and uh, you know,
- 12:47Speaker 2: I look forward to doing So.
- 12:48Speaker 3: Does DK get doubled a lot more down there or
- 12:50Speaker 3: just didn't get doubled?
- 12:51Speaker 1: Maybe more? Yeah, Yeah, he just doubled all game.
- 12:54Speaker 2: You know, we we'd like to you know, still, that's
- 12:56Speaker 2: not an excuse we still gotta find ways to get
- 12:58Speaker 2: him the ball, you know, even even if they're trying
- 12:59Speaker 2: to find ways to double them. So it's just about us,
- 13:02Speaker 2: you know, figuring it out and and and working together.
- 13:04Speaker 1: And that's something we're doing.
- 13:05Speaker 2: And yeah, getting our guys touches and and putting them
- 13:08Speaker 2: in the best position to make plays anything else.
- 13:11Speaker 1: Thank you, thank you, you