Though ‘hurt’ by his MNF backup status, Seahawks’ Smith is ‘excited’ about Lock
RENTON, WA While he was disappointed that the Seattle Seahawks did not start him against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, Geno Smith expressed his happiness for Drew Lock, who helped end the team’s four-game losing streak by throwing the game-winning touchdown in the closing seconds.
Regarding whether Smith, who has missed the previous two games due to a groin issue, will start Sunday against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville?
On Thursday, he remarked, “I would hope so.”
That’s still the direction that signs are pointing. Smith’s return this week was signaled by coach Pete Carroll on Wednesday, and since then, the quarterback has been labeled as a full participant in both of their sessions.
“I feel pretty good,” Smith stated. “Still getting better.”
Due to a groin injury he sustained during practice on December 7, Smith was limited in his participation throughout the entire previous week. Three days later, he was unable to play in Seattle’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers. For the most part, the Seahawks entered Monday night thinking Lock would start again because he filled in for Smith at the start of the season and had all of the first-team reps before the Eagles game.
But they worked out Smith pregame just in case, and he surprised the team with how good he looked. Carroll said he second-guessed the decision to not start Smith after the workout only to stick with the original plan at the advice of the team’s medical and training staffs, though they made Smith active as a backup. That led to what Carroll called a “gut-wrenching” conversation with Smith, who took the news hard.
“It was tough,” he said. “Just preparing myself and doing everything that I possibly can to be ready to play, feeling like I was ready to play, expecting to go out there and play, and then Coach making that decision. We’ve got to live with it. Obviously, I was hurt by it. I want to go out there and compete. I want to play any chance that I get, but I do understand that he’s got to make the decision for the team, and also for me, to kind of protect me from myself at times.
“I had to accept that, move on, and go help the soldiers out there. When I found out I wouldn’t be able to play, that became my primary concern.”
With 33 seconds remaining, Lock completed a 10-play, 92-yard winning drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The ESPN broadcast had Smith and Lock celebrating together on the sidelines. Even though they battled for the starting position during the previous offseason, the two have grown close.
That was awesome,” Smith said. “So excited for Drew. That was really cool to see him in that moment, and for the all the guys really. That was a big win for us, big-time game, ‘Monday Night Football’ against a really good team. I thought Drew played really well throughout the game, and for him to close it out the way he did, for all the guys to make the plays the way they did, man, I was just so happy. It was one of those nights that you’ll remember for the rest of your life, just seeing him in that moment and the way that he handled all of that was really cool to see.”
For the second consecutive day on Thursday, the Seahawks listed safety Jamal Adams (knee), cornerback Devon Witherspoon (hip pointer), and running back Ken Walker III (shoulder) as nonparticipants. Security Julian Love, who took Adams’ place against the Eagles and threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter, skipped practice for the second day in a row due to his wife’s impending delivery this week.
