The Seattle Seahawks have decided which quarterback will face their former one when Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos come to Lumen Field for the Monday night opener on Sept. 12.
Yes, Geno Smith is an NFL starter once again.
Coach Pete Carroll made the announcement Friday night, calling Seattle’s quarterback battle in favor of Smith over Drew Lock after the Seahawks closed out their preseason with a 27-26 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He told the team in the locker room then relayed his decision to reporters.
“He’s going to start the opener,” Carroll said. “He’s earned it. He won the job.”
All along, Carroll has said that Smith has been ahead of Lock, noting several times how Wilson’s former backup has had the edge in terms of his understanding of Shane Waldron’s offense. Lock was already in catch-up mode when he missed the second preseason game with COVID-19. Then he turned in an uneven performance against Dallas with a perfect touchdown pass but also three interceptions, two of which weren’t entirely his fault.
Asked about his decision to go with Smith, Carroll said the 10th-year veteran kept earning the right to remain in the lead.
“We really put him up against the competition and Drew took his shot at him all the way throughout,” Carroll said. “Those guys … they have gotten along beautifully, they’ve supported one another throughout. They really couldn’t have done that better and in more classy, great competitor fashion. They know that they need each other and all that and they did it right. But Geno, he knows our stuff and he does really well and he understands it and he can manage everything that we’re doing and he’s good about the football. He’ll give us the best chance to play great football right off the bat.”
For Lock, it’s the second straight summer in which he’s lost a quarterback battle.
For Smith, it’s another shot at being a QB1 after his early-career struggles — as well as an infamous locker room incident in which his…
Source : espn
