Why new Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak is right about Geno Smith

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith may be one of the most-polarizing, if not the most-polarizing quarterbacks in the NFL today.

Some Seahawks fans believe that while Smith's not one of the league's elite quarterbacks, the team is capable of winning with him under center. Other fans, however, believe he is the thing, or at least a thing, holding the Seahawks back from their full potential.

Inside the team's building, though, everyone has full faith in Smith, though. During his introductory press conference on Tuesday, new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak shared his excitement to work with the veteran quarterback.

"[Geno] was a huge draw to come here and to get to coach him alongside (quarterbacks coach) Andrew Janocko, so we have high expectations for him," Kubiak said. "We're gonna push Geno and get the best out of him, and we'll do that by pushing his teammates as well. It's not just him. It's a team thing, and he's gotta be the head of that."

That begs the question, though, how accurate is Kubiak's assessment?

Smith, 34, completed a career-high 70.4 percent of his passes for 4,320 yards, 21 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. It was a decent season, if nothing more. Unfortunately, an abysmal offensive line and run game held the offense back, and ultimately contributed to Seattle missing the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Sure, Smith may not be among the league's elite quarterbacks, but he's still a decent option under center. At the very least, he's better than any realistic option the Seahawks could find this offseason, either via free agency or the draft.

With better support around Smith, the Seahawks can absolutely be a playoff team in 2025, as Kubiak belives they can be.

"I think Geno is tough as nails," Kubiak said. "I think, you look at the guy in the fourth quarter, he goes and wins football games. That excites me; that fires me up.

"You think about a guy that's been through a lot of adversity, a guy that's been knocked off the high horse and had to claw his way back into the starter's role, and then comes back the last two years and wins more games in the fourth quarter more than anybody in the NFL -- that's a guy I want to coach."