Geno Smith agrees: He needs to get the ball out more quickly for Seahawks at Cowboys BY GREGG BELL UPDATED NOVEMBER 27, 2023 4:40 PM Geno Smith: ‘Helpful’ days off, throwing arm still hurting entering Seahawks at Cowboys Geno Smith: ‘Helpful’ days off, throwing arm still hurting entering Seahawks at Cowboys game Thursday night. BY GREGG BELL/THE NEWS TRIBUNE RENTON Urgency is all over the Seahawks this week. “There’s always a sense of urgency,” linebacker Jordyn Brooks said before practicing Monday for Seattle’s test at the high-riding Dallas Cowboys (8-3) Thursday night (5:15 p.m., channel 13/Amazon). “But, shoot,” Brooks said, “we’ve GOT to win.” It’s urgent on top of urgent for Geno Smith. The Seahawks need their quarterback to rebound, right now, from getting dumped six times and turning the ball over again in his last game, the team’s 31-13 thrashing by San Francisco on Thanksgiving. Smith also can’t wait any more to throw his passes. His coach, who usually doesn’t single out players for needing to do something specific to better give the Seahawks (6-5) a chance to win, did just that this week. Pete Carroll was talking about Smith on Sunday when he said: “There are always things he can do better. It’s just reading more quickly and get the ball out more readily, so we can avoid the (pass) rush. Of all of the things in particular like this week, we need to get the ball out. The ball has got to get out of his hands so that we don’t give the rusher a chance. “If there’s anything in particular, that’s what I’m hoping Geno (Smith) can find his keys, his reads, and get the ball out ahead of the rush. “That’s easier said than done.” Especially against the Cowboys (8-3). Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Carroll’s former coordinator for Seattle’s defenses, will be lining up All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons up and down the line of scrimmage, inside and outside. Parsons has 11-1/2 sacks in 11 games. Smith has been sacked 13 times in Seattle’s last four games. That’s just below half his total times sacked this season (27). The Seahawks have lost three of those games to fall two games plus a tie-breaker behind San Francisco for the NFC West lead. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) reacts to a false start during the second quarter of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, in Seattle, Wash. Brian Hayes bhayes@thenewstribune.com If Seahawks play caller Shane Waldron has Smith drop back deep to throw long passes and Smith waits like he did against the 49ers last week, Seattle is going to lose for the fourth time in five games Thursday. Waldron’s game plan against the 49ers was to throw deep passes into their secondary for big gains to DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and constantly test a secondary that had seven defensive pass-interference penalties in 10 games. Four of the six sacks of Smith against San Francisco came on third down, as he waited — and waited — for receivers to be open.
