He lost his first NFL chance unimaginably. Now Geno Smith gets another, for Russell Wilson
Perhaps no quarterback in NFL history has lost a starting job the unimaginable way Eugene Cyril Smith III did.
A half-dozen years later, on the other side of the country, the league and his life, “Geno” Smith is getting another chance.
Days after his 31st birthday, the former lead man for New York’s Jets will make his first NFL start in four years Sunday night in Pittsburgh.
Smith is doing against the Steelers (2-3) what the Seahawks (2-3) were beginning to think after 10 years of cheating fate might never happen: replace injured Russell Wilson, who is out, indefinitely, for the first time in his career.
“It means, everything, man. It means everything,” Smith said Thursday.
Wilson went through the start of Thursday’s in full practice uniform one-handed again. Wilson was even throwing passes left-handed, keeping his surgically repaired middle finger on his passing hand safety tucked into a belt-line warmer, as he did at the start of practice Wednesday.
But his streak of 165 consecutive games played to begin his career will end Sunday night.
That means Smith is all the way back. Back from how way he lost his first chance to start in the NFL six years ago: a teammate cold-cocking him from behind inside the Jets locker room.
Career sucker-punched
Sources told the New York Post in August 2015 reserve Jets linebacker IK Enemkpali was irate at Smith, New York’s two-year starter from the opener of his rookie season after lighting up college football at West Virginia, for allegedly failing to pay back $600. Enemkpali had reportedly given Smith that amount for travel to a football camp for kids Enemkpali was putting on the previous month in his hometown, Pflugerville, Texas.
He came up to Smith from behind in the Jets locker room during training camp six years ago and sucker-punched him, breaking the quarterback’s jaw.
Sources told the Post Smith had canceled on the charity camp days before it, following the death of his brother’s best friend in a motorcycle crash.
The Jets cut Enemkpali immediately after he punched Smith.
While hurt, Smith lost his starting job to Ryan Fitzpatrick.
He never really got it back.
“Anytime you get adversity, you get a chance to show really what you are about, and to respond,” Smith said.
“At the time, looking back on it, was I totally aware of that? Probably not. But as you go on, you just grow, you see how those things allow you to grow and shape you.”
Smith made one more start with the Jets. On Oct. 23, 2016, he replaced the benched Fitzpatrick for a game against Baltimore. Smith threw a 69-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.
He tore the anterior cruciate ligament while getting sacked in the second quarter of that game. He went on injured reserve for the rest of the 2016 season.
The formerly high-flying passer with a seemingly unlimited football future was gutted. Professionally, and personally.
“It was hard, honestly. It was hard. I’d be lying to you if I said it wasn’t hard,” Smith said Thursday.
“Then, you’ve just got to dig deep and say, ‘You know, forget it, man. I’m just going to work. I’m just going to work, and just be the best that I can be every, single day, and not worry about the outside factors. And just do what it takes to make myself better and be ready for the opportunity.’”
The next, tiny one came with the Giants. They signed him for 2017 while he was still recovering from his reconstructive knee surgery. He made one start for them, his last one in the NFL.
On Dec. 3, 2017 for a game against Oakland, the three-win Giants benched aging Super Bowl champion Eli Manning, ending 13 years of him starting for them. Smith completed 21 of 34 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown that day. But with the Giants down by 3 and at the Raiders 4-yard line he lost a fumble on a sack by Oakland’s Khalil Mack. New York lost 24-17.
Manning went back to starting the next week. Smith was out of a job again.
He signed with the Los Angeles Chargers for the 2018 season to backup Philip Rivers, another iron-tough quarterback who always started. Smith got 32 mop-up snaps in five Chargers games that season.
Seattle’s lessons
Up in Seattle, the Seahawks had been spooked in 2016 by undrafted, overwhelmed rookie Trevone Boykin having to play a few meaningful snaps when Wilson finally got hurt the first month of that season. Wilson sprained his ankle in the 2016 opener when Miami’s Ndamukong Suh landed on it, then sprained the medial collateral ligament in his knee two weeks later against San Francisco.
Even though Seattle won that game against the 49ers, the brief glimpse of Boykin malfunctioning in the offense prompted coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider to ensure a veteran who has started NFL games would be Wilson’s backup. Seattle traded in 2018 for Brett Hundley, a one-time fill-in starter for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.
For 2019, the Seahawks signed Smith to a one-year contract. Despite playing just 18 snaps all that season in garbage time of one game, Smith signed back with Seattle for 2020.
After 25 snaps mopping up one game last year, Smith signed back again with the Seahawks this spring for one year and $1.19 million.
He mentioned after playing Seahawks preseason games each of those summers he believed he was still a starting quarterback in the NFL. Yet he stayed, knowing Wilson was going to play every game.
Why?
“At the time, I was weighing my options,” Smith said. “The reality was, I was comfortable here. I was pretty comfortable here with the team, with the coaches, the front-office guys, the players.
“And another thing was just picking up and traveling at the time. It was during COVID and all that stuff. Just picking up and traveling and having to go across the country, having my family move and stuff like that just wasn’t something I was interested in.”
Smith said “there were good teams that called, and made strong offers.”
“But I’m happy I made that decision to stay here.”
He sure is now.
Smith was doing what he’d been doing for years, keeping the game plan he memorized, just in case, and standing on the sidelines supporting Wilson for the Rams game last week. Then midway through the third quarter Wilson’s right hand hit the arm of Los Angeles’ All-World defensive lineman Aaron Donald on a the follow-through of an incomplete pass.
Wilson had torn a tendon in his dislocated middle finger on his throwing hand. He had surgery in Los Angeles the next day. He is likely to miss at least the next three games before Seattle’s bye Nov. 7. Some estimates for this type of injury and surgery say it’s a six-week recovery. Six weeks in Nov. 19.
Smith would have started four games by then.
Impressive replacement
Smith played the fourth quarter for the injured Wilson in that home loss to the Rams. Cold not just for three hours Thursday night but three years, Smith completed all five of his passes on a 98-yard drive. His touchdown pass to DK Metcalf briefly got the Seahawks to withing 16-14 of the lead.
Smith got back in the huddle with 2:09 remaining and the Seahawks trailing 23-17. On the first play of that drive, Tyler Lockett and Rams safety Jordan Fuller brushed into each other on Lockett’s long deep crossing route. Smith threw the ball as Lockett then tripped over his feet to the ground. L.A.’s Nick Scott ran over for an uncontested interception with no Seahawk around him. That ended Smith’s try at a legendary comeback off the bench — for four years.
After the game, Smith said his phone was blowing up with messages and well wishes from fields in and out of football.
He particularly got excited by a text message of congratulations sent from Brian Schottenheimer, Smith’s and Wilson’s offensive coordinator and daily meeting leader with the Seahawks quarterbacks for three years ending when Carroll fired him without Wilson’s blessing in January.
“I was eager to see that text from Schotty,” Smith said.
“But it’s not about me. It’s about the team. It’s about doing what’s best for the team. It’s not about me, at all. Obviously, it’s a great opportunity. But, my mindset is focused on winning, and doing what’s best for the team.”
Shane Waldron, Schottenheimer’s replacement and a first-time play caller, is running an offense that is familiar to Smith. It’s like the one he ran so prolifically at West Virginia: up-tempo, short, quick routes by receivers, the ball out of the quarterback’s hand quickly.
“The benefit of Geno is that he’s able to do a lot of similar things (as Wilson),” Waldron said. “He’s been in the league for a long time. He’s had successful runs in different stages there, and now being able to be in the building here for a couple years in a row, have some familiarity with some terms that have remained the same or some parts of the offense that have remained the same.
“He’s able to come in and really handle the full playbook and everything that we’ve been doing at a very similar level. Looking forward to working with him in that regard.”
Waldron said one trait in particular stood out from Smith when he entered for Wilson in last week’s game.
“His command,” Waldron said. “His command in the huddle. His command at the line of scrimmage. He was decisive, going right through his reads. Had the ability to use his legs at times if it wasn’t right there.
“Just the confidence that he exuded. The guys could feel it in the huddle. The guys could feel it on the sideline there. It was great to see him get in there and have that opportunity.”
Lockett felt Smith’s confidence. He said the entire team did.
“We believe Geno can get it done,” Lockett said.
Patience
What has Smith learned since the last time he started a game 46 months ago? It’s been so long, the Raiders he started against in Oakland in 2017 don’t exist in that city anymore.
“I think the biggest growth came with just being patient, you know?” he said.
“That’s with all things. Sitting here, knowing I have the capabilities to play in this league but not getting the opportunity for a number of years was a test of patience.
“That also goes for me playing quarterback, on the field. When I was younger, in college, man, we were putting up so many points (for West Virginia), I was just so used to scoring every time, so that was my mentality.”
Then the Jets selected him in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft, at 39th overall. New York, a 6-10 team the year before, made him its starter from week one of his rookie season.
He quickly learned, as he put it Wednesday, “in the NFL, man, you ain’t going to score every time. That’s just reality.”
“I’m a lot more patience now, with my reads (of defenses),” he said. “My footwork is probably my biggest difference-maker. To me, my footwork has gotten a lot better.
“And I think it’s paying off in the game.”
The Seahawks are already three games behind undefeated Arizona in the NFC West, just five games into the season. They need Smith to cash in on his third NFL chance, six years after he got it punched away from him.
“We need him,” Carroll said.
“Geno has a really good position on this team. He has been highly thought of by the organization, by his teammates, and the fans responded, too. We are grateful that he has been with us. Now that it’s his time to do this and has a chance to help the club, I couldn’t be more excited for him.
“He’s going to be really tuned in. He’s really smart with the scheme and system, really sharp in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage, and is really good at all of that.
“He gives himself every chance to have a good performance and help us win.”
