Seahawks -19, Rams-16
Q. How much focus do you need to have when you throw that pick just to stay back in the game and not get too hyped up and blame yourself on a play like that?
GENO SMITH: Man, that's a tough way to start the game. We've done that twice now. Honestly, it's unacceptable in my eyes.
Some things that obviously we can correct, but when it happens, you've got to have a short memory. Playing quarterback is a lot like cornerback. A lot of cornerbacks get beat. And if you are a quarterback, you are going to throw an interception at some point if you play enough games.
You just have to be able to move past it. Really just look at it and see what happened, why it happened, how it happened, try to fix it, and then just move on because, I mean, there's a lot of game left to play. As you can see, it took all the way to overtime for us to finally pull it out, but when you start like that, you know, it's tough, but you just have to keep playing.
Q. Then you got the hit on the sidelines. I couldn't see, but just take us through that, and then you went right back in the game.
GENO SMITH: Just got the wind knocked out of me for a second. Was running down the sideline and was moving a little bit and really couldn't avoid Jalen right there. He kind of dipped his shoulder and hit me in the right spot and just got the wind knocked had out of me. Thank God I was able to get up and just continue to play.
Q. What was the attitude like? When it went into overtime, you guys (indiscernible) --
GENO SMITH: We knew, man, what was at stake. You know, we don't want the season to end. I feel like everybody in the locker room, I feel like our coaches, everybody in the building, you know, we're just coming together at the right time. We're enjoying one another and going to work and enjoying your teammates, and the locker room is so fun that I don't think guys want the season to end right now.
We knew what was at stake. We had to figure out a way to get a win. You know, the defense kept us in the game the entire time. We were struggling a little bit on offense. Obviously started the game bad, but we found a way, and it took everybody. I was just happy to see that happen.
Q. Touchdown to lock it. How much confidence do you have to throw that ball to Tyler the way he has been playing this whole season?
GENO SMITH: Tyler and I have done that so many times. You talk about training camp, OTAs, practices. You know, he is one of the better receivers I've ever played with.
When he is one-on-one, when he has those opportunities, especially on those deep passes, you know, he is always going to get his toes in. That's one thing we know. He is just a dynamic player with a lot of heart. He is playing hurt. He is toughing it out, and he is giving it everything he has got. He understands what is at stake as well. He is one of those plays, man, that I will never forget.
Q. Playoffs or no playoffs, you led the team to a winning record. How proud are you of that?
GENO SMITH: It's good to be above .500. You know, you want to be above .500. I wish we could have done a lot better earlier so we can get 10-plus wins, but to give ourselves a shot at the playoffs, to be above .500 with a young team who I believe pretty much everybody wrote us off, right, it speaks volumes to our head coach. It starts with our head coach and our GM. It starts with our front office, our ownership.
And then you talk about the players in the locker room, the leadership, the type of guys that we have. We have the right amount of guys in the locker room, the right character guys, the right talented -- amount of talent in our locker room.
Man, it just speaks volumes to our leadership. We have the right guys, and we just have to keep going.
Q. Were you watching when that interception happened, Quandre was in overtime, or were you busy getting busy ready for the next drive?
GENO SMITH: I feel like I had a direct view. I was sitting down on the bench, and I looked up, and I just see Quandre jumping in the air and catching the ball over his shoulder looking like a wideout. That's something that he has always done, man.
I'll go back to our time playing at Texas when we played him. He was one of those players I was watching on film like, man, you have to watch out for No. 6. He has carried that throughout his career. He is a ball hawk. If that ball is in his area, he is going to get it. Quandre is one of the best defensive players I've played with, but also one of the best teammates I've ever had.
Q. What's it going to be like for you now these next few hours watching that game?
GENO SMITH: I'm going to take my girl on a date actually and try not to watch the game. I'll be hoping for updates. I know people will be texting me, but, you know, I'm preparing as if we're going to play a game next week. And then if not, then, hey, it is what it is.
Q. What do you make personally of the regular season that you had?
GENO SMITH: I think obviously I've done some things that were really good, and then knowing myself, I'm going to, you know -- whenever the offseason does come, hopefully a long time from now, but I'm going to be super hard on myself with some of the decisions that I made and things that I did that weren't great.
So obviously, you know, it's good to lead the team and play 17 games. That was my main goal is to lead these guys and to play 17 games. I knew what I could do on the field, but I know I can be better as well. That's where I'm focusing on right now.
Q. You completed one of the best single seasons a quarterback has ever had for the Seattle Seahawks. What does that mean to you?
GENO SMITH: Obviously I'm grateful for the opportunity, grateful for my teammates, all the guys that contributed, all the wideouts, the tight ends, running backs, especially the offensive line.
Shane Waldron, one of the best OCs in the game, being able to have Coach Carroll and this type of leadership and this type of ownership, it means a lot. It means a lot. That's really where it's at with me. The accolades, the stats and all that, it's just a part of it, but being a part of this team, being able to play with the guys and go out there on the field and battle, you know, every single week is what's more important to me.
Q. Geno, you haven't had -- I don't have to tell you. You haven't had a multi-year contract since your rookie deal. At this point do you want to go to free agency at this point? If you had a perfect road map for how it's going to go between now and March, what do you want?
GENO SMITH: Shoot, man, I hope March doesn't come. I'm focused on football right now, but, you know, the thing is that it's a business. Football is a business. A lot of people have a lot of decision to make. That's where I'll leave it at.
I feel great about where I stand with this organization and my teammates and everybody else, but it's always -- it's always a business first. So I look at it like that.
I understand that, and I have to handle my business as well.
Q. What does it feel like at halftime? The second quarter didn't go well for you guys, and then you come right out and go down the field with the Tyler touchdown right after that.
GENO SMITH: Halftime we just got together and said, hey, man, we know what's at stake. Honestly, probably one of my worst games this year. Regardless of the stats or what was going on, I was in it to win it. I was going out there. I was ready to lay my body on the line, do whatever it took to win. That was the message at half.
You know, we have 30 minute to go out there and write the story for the rest of our season, and I know every single guy wants to continue to play, and so we just stayed locked in and keep out with that fight and exactly what we needed at the right time.
Q. I know you told us a few weeks ago you felt like you were getting too aggressive at time. Was that first pick a moment like that? It's a game you were obviously hyped for and wanted to go out and win. Was that one of those moments, or was it a good play? How did you view it?
GENO SMITH: I view it as that's one of the best cornerbacks in the game, and he showed us why on that first play. It was the exact coverage we wanted. It was the exact look, the exact leverage, and he undercut it and made a tremendous play. That's why he is one of the better ones, he does things like that.
But it's always process over results, and so in that process I was doing the right thing. Obviously the interception was not the result we wanted, but the process was in the right mentality.
So when you have guys like that on the other side, you just have to be a little more mindful of the throw and where you put it.
Q. Did you have any issue with Jalen's hit on you at all?
GENO SMITH: No, I thought it was a bang-bang play. I didn't really get a chance to, like, see it. Obviously I'm running, but I thought it was a bang-bang play. He dipped his shoulder, and it happens. That happens almost every week in football.
Q. Raining all day, was it a factor throwing a wet ball at all?
GENO SMITH: No, no. I felt pretty good out there. We get used to playing in the rain out here. We practiced in it on Friday.
Then I just felt good out there no matter the circumstances... rain, wind, snow. I played in a bunch of different elements at West Virginia. It's got me ready for these situations.
Thank you, guys.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports