RENTON, Wash. -- Here's what one member of the Seattle Seahawks' 2023 coaching staff told ESPN while defending Geno Smith's up-and-down season:
"He didn't have a clean pocket all year."
And here's what the quarterback himself said earlier this week about the prospects for the young, re-tooled offensive line he'll be playing behind in 2024:
"I think they're going to be the best in the world."
As hyperbolic as both comments were, therein lies what may be the most significant storyline of the start of the Mike Macdonald era, one that will determine Smith's future in Seattle.