The Seattle Seahawks named Geno Smith the starting quarterback for Week 1 of the regular season, head coach Pete Carroll confirmed last week. The decision left former Denver Broncos star Drew Lock disappointed.
The move marked Lock’s second consecutive time losing the starting position. Last year, he lost the starting job to Teddy Bridgewater at Denver. Many associated this with Lock’s release from the team.
ProFootballTalk’s Charean Williams noted favoritism between the team and Smith, which became more apparent upon his re-signing on April 19. Despite Lock only appearing in two preseason games while Smith played in all three, Lock had higher passing stats than Smith.
“As a competitor, you’re always disappointed, and I was disappointed. You want to be out there. You want to be playing with those guys. You want to be able to step on the field and show you can do it. Yeah, you’re disappointed, but now it’s my job to have his back and be the best teammate I can be,” Lock said.
“I need to come out every day and find ways to make this team better and make myself better. I have to strive to get better every single day. I know I won’t be taking the reps, but there’s a lot of ways you can get better.”
Smith appeared in all three preseason games. Meanwhile, Lock had to miss one game. He tested positive for COVID-19 two days ahead of the matchup against the Chicago Bears. He said it had quite an effect on him but did not blame it for him losing the starter position.
“I learned a lot about what to do last year in this situation and how to be ready for any chance that I get. I just need to get better any day,” Lock continued.
Carroll praises Lock
Carroll acknowledged Lock’s abilities to play football, praising the player for his athleticism, arm strength, and arm talent. The praise was not baseless, as Lock was stellar in this preseason.
“He can play. I don’t have any question that he can play. I really don’t. He’s got all the athleticism. He’s got the arm strength. He’s got arm talent. He’s got a creativity about him. All of that,” Carroll said.
The 25-year-old completed 11 out of 15 passes for 102 yards alongside two touchdowns in the first preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, Smith only hit 10 out of 15 passes for 101 yards.
In the preseason finale against the Dallas Cowboys, which was won by Seattle 27-26, Lock made 13 out of 24 passes for 171 yards, had a single touchdown, and three interceptions. Smith, on the other hand, recorded as little as three out of 6 passes for 43 yards.
“I think he’s going to be a fantastic football player soon, so it’s just a matter of he just didn’t quite have enough time to beat out a guy who knew exactly what he was doing and who just stayed at it and really just won the job because of his consistency and really his performance,” Carroll said.