GENO SMITH: Good afternoon.
Q. How do you view Sunday's game?
GENO SMITH: Big game. Shoot, I can't wait. I enjoy playing football. Every opportunity you get, man, like for young guys or anybody listening, they're all valuable and you know for me, man, I look forward to the next opportunity and so that's just this, the next opportunity and really looking forward to it.
Q. You've got some numbers that are approaching career and franchise numbers. What have you liked and appreciated about this system and about what Ryan Grubb has done?
GENO SMITH: I appreciate Coach Grubb and really the way he's worked diligently throughout the season. We had our fair shares of ups and downs and things haven't been all perfect, but Grubb has been the same guy throughout the entire year. I feel like with the changes we've had up front, guys in and out of the line-up, I thought Huff did a great job at making sure guys are prepared. Obviously we know about our receivers and all our skill players, but, you know, when you talk about numbers and all that, obviously they speak to what's being done, but I feel like there's a lot that I could have improved on so I'm always going to focus on that more than the good stuff.
Q. Your head coach was saying he's going to try all he can for personal milestones and financial benchmarks this game. How much do you appreciate that and how much is it a factor in this situation?
GENO SMITH: Yeah, you got to appreciate him saying that, just being open and honest about it. Coach understands. He's always been that way and I think that's what makes him who he is. I think that's why guys respect him, because he's pretty honest in his assessment with everything. Appreciate him for that.
As far as milestones and stuff, I kind of let those things just take care of themselves, I got to go out there and play football, do the right thing no matter what happens. Obviously, like I said, yeah, you want to hit those, you want to achieve all the things you can achieve but well within the respects of the game, so just going out there and playing football. Obviously it's going to be on your mind, you know about it but you try not to think about it. You just go out there and do the right thing and let the chips fall where they may.
Q. What about when it comes to milestones for teammates, like Jaxon is approaching a record. Is that anymore in your head like that would be cool to get him the catches that he needs to get that?
GENO SMITH: Oh, yeah, we're for sure going to try to get guys the catches, yards, whatever it is. Like I said, with respect to the game, obviously, but, yeah, you want to at least go out with a bang, you know, I think the bigger thing is to get another win, finish the season with ten wins and see where it goes from there.
Q. Do you know where you stand with some of those escalators and what you would need to do to hit some of them?
GENO SMITH: Yeah, I do.
Q. Is that going to be hard to not think about in the game at all in.
GENO SMITH: Yeah, it'll definitely be a little hard. You don't want to go out there -- I was talking to someone earlier in the week, you're aware of where those things are but you don't want to go out there and be chasing it. I feel like that really affects your decision-making and in a game that's, you know, decision-making is everything, you want to make sure you're making sound decisions and not just doing things to chase incentives. So, yeah, I'm aware of it but like I said, with respect to the game, I got to go out there and do the right thing at all times.
Q. When you put on the tape for the Rams, the last few games, their defense has been very stingy. What are they doing well of late?
GENO SMITH: Yeah, I just think overall it starts up front with them. They drafted two really talented guys up front and I feel like thaw did a good job of trying to make up for some of the things they lost with losing Aaron. You can see those guys are really getting after it. You speak on Verse tough, physical guy at the point of attack. Really good on the edge. I thought Fiske did a good job in our game and has done a good job all season and then Kobie Turner. All those guys up front who they like to get five-man rushes. They want to send five, get everyone in one-on-ones see who can win their match-up and then when you look at the back end, man, just a lot of mixing personnel. A lot of dime coverage. A lot of nickel coverage. So a lot of DBs on the field. That would usually help with the pass game, so I think they're doing a good job in their system and I think it's showing up on tape.
Q. Do you know -- some coaches might shut down their starters in a game like this. What did you think of Mike Macdonald's decision to say we're going after it?
GENO SMITH: Yeah, I mean, that's the way he is. He's always going to go after it, he's a one-way type of guy and we appreciate him for it.
Q. You mentioned the ups and downs of the offense. Is there one or two things you kind of point to as this is what has got to get better going forward in the next year?
GENO SMITH: There's some things and I'll keep those internal. Obviously I want to make sure that we're working on it and not just talking about it, so there's a lot of things I feel like we could have done a lot better and like I said, internally, we'll work on those things, other than that, man, with all due respect, me telling you is not going to fix the problem, so I would rather keep it internal.
Q. What did you think of your cousin's game yesterday?
GENO SMITH: Good game, ready for the next one.
Q. Devon Witherspoon, Pro Bowler. How has he made you better in practice?
GENO SMITH: Shoot, since the day we got Young Spoon, he's just been that fiery competitor we saw coming out of college and to get a chance to be a teammate of his and big congrats on the Pro Bowl nod. But to be a teammate of his and to compete against him every single day, I think he's one of the better corners in the league as well as one of the better knuckles in the league. He's extremely smart. To be not the biggest guy in the world, he's extremely physical and he's great in coverage and so I think he's made me a much better quarterback just practicing against him every day.
Q. What about Leo not making the Pro Bowl?
GENO SMITH: Yeah, I don't understand that one. Well, I do understand it. I have been in Seattle long enough to know there's some type of a bias. I feel that way, honestly. There's a lot of players that have been snubbed from a lot of things here and it's unfortunate for guys like Leo who has had a tremendous season. Guy had a pick six at D-tackle. He's been wrecking games. If you turn on the tape, there's no way this guy's not an all-pro Pro Bowler, so like I said, I don't really know what goes into that, but someone on the committee needs to be addressed.
Q. Those fixes, I know you don't want to tell us what they are for the offense... are they simple fixes, though?
GENO SMITH: I don't think anything in life is simple. You have to focus on the process. They can be as simple as we make them, but this game is never easy so I wouldn't just say it's simple. If it was that simple, we would have fixed it already, obviously, but there are some things we got to work on and we have to get better at.
Q. Where do you fall in what needs to improve?
GENO SMITH: At the top of the list, man, me. I got to improve everything.
MODERATOR: Anything else? Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports