For the Seattle Seahawks, quarterbacks Geno Smith and Drew Lock are battling to succeed Russell Wilson – with advantages for veteran Smith. Coach Pete Carroll gives the reasons.

Munich – The quarterback situation for the Seattle Seahawks remains intriguing ahead of the start of the preseason. Does coach Pete Carroll trust veteran Geno Smith? Or will newcomer Drew Lock prevail in the end?

A week before the start of preseason games, Smith is favourite to succeed Russell Wilson, who has been traded to the Denver Broncos.

“Geno is still on top, he’s ahead, he’s in the lead for obvious reasons, and he’s holding it and battling really well,” said Carroll, who was recently absent due to a Corona illness and digitally tracked the sessions to keep in touch with the team.

Geno Smith is doing everything right

Smith is currently doing everything right, Carroll said. “He’s getting along with the system, he’s making the checks at the line of scrimmage, he’s able to control the protections and work with [centre] Austin [Blythe],” Carroll said. Or in other words, “He’s just very talented.”

The message to competitor Lock, who was traded to Seattle in the Wilson trade: keep the ball rolling.

“He’s got to show us how he makes his decisions when the big opportunities come,” Carroll said: “He’s made a lot of plays. He’s made a lot of good throws, he runs really well, he’s elusive, he’s got a quick ‘trigger’, a lot of talent. “

Is there still a surprising twist coming?

With the preseason now underway, teams are entering the hot phase of preparation, and the same goes for the two quarterbacks. “We need reps. We need variety, we need to see more situations to really see a difference between the two guys.” Meaning: both will get their chances, and then Carroll will make the decision between the two.

Or?

Because a possible plot twist is also exciting: It still can’t be ruled out that the Seahawks will hit the quarterback market after all. The name Jimmy Garoppolo is persistent.