Geno Smith was ready to answer tonight. And even more.
Smith was dragged down the sideline in awkward fashion in the second quarter. Giants defender Isaiah Simmons dragged Smith to the turf with a hip-drop tackle. He missed the remainder of the half due to a knee injury that required an X-ray.
After the game, Geno spoke to ESPN’s Lisa Salters.
What happened? She asked.
“A dirty game,” Smith said. “Dirty game. You can see it. It was a dirty game. There is no place for that in this sport. And, you know, hopefully something happens. But other than that, the grace of God allowed me to get back into this game.”
After the hit and beyond, he was upset and picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct foul upon his return. Why was he so angry?
“You know what?” Smith said. “I don’t respect things like that, you know what I mean? Something like that is not necessary. It’s a highly competitive game out there. We all fight. But there’s no need to shoot at people who are running out of bounds on the sideline.”
The hip drop maneuver has caused controversy. An attempt to ban it in the off-season was unsuccessful. The risk of injury is very similar to the risk of the prohibited horse caller tackle, as the tackler’s body falls onto the ball carrier’s lower legs. (Former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has argued against it make the hip drop tackle illegal.)
Legal or not, this occurred while Smith was out of bounds.
The Seahawks have a bye, giving him additional time to heal. It doesn’t sound like he needs it.
“I’m fine,” he told Salters. “I’m fine. God is good.”
The Seahawks are good too. And whether it was Smith or Drew Lock or Jim Zorn or Rick Mirer or Dan McGwire or Pete Carroll at quarterback, the defense was more than enough to help Seattle get a big win and move them to 3-1.
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