The Las Vegas Raiders recently traded for quarterback Geno Smith, as the Team desperately needed help at quarterback. The Raiders were wise to make this move, as it gives them a quality quarterback moving forward.
Smith brings many years of experience to the Raiders’ quarterback room, including years of experience in a situation similar to the one the Raiders face entering next season. Brady can identify with the Seahawks’ and Raiders’ respective situations over the past two seasons.
During Tom Brady’s last two seasons in the National Football League, his offenses finished the regular season with the fewest rushing yards per game and the seventh-fewest rushing yards per game.
In the past two regular seasons, the Las Vegas Raiders averaged the fewest rushing and third-fewest yards per game in the NFL. The Seattle Seahawks averaged the fifth-fewest rushing yards per game of any NFL team during that time frame with Smith under center.
Steven Ruiz of the Ringer recently noted how Tom Brady was the announcer of a Seahawks game this past season, giving him a quality look at Smith. Brady’s on Smith came well before either of them had the legitimate ties to each other that they do now after the trade.
“All in all, it was an ugly day for Smith and the Seahawks offense, but Brady consistently cited the flaws in the unit’s structure as the problem rather than the quarterback’s play,” Ruiz said. “For instance, after Smith threw an interception on a busted screen play, Brady said, “That’s the problem with being in the shotgun and allowing them to tee off all day; I know it’s a screen pass, but it’s just bad football by the Seahawks.”
“And when the run game and offensive line struggled, he said: “When you don’t have [a reliable run game], with Seattle, you’re always trying to hunt-and-peck until you find what really works. The passing game they can depend on, but they’re going to have to run the ball to keep the pressure off Geno and that offensive line.”
“If that sounds familiar, it’s probably because that’s what was going on with the Buccaneers during Brady’s final season in Tampa. The Bucs’ offensive line couldn’t protect the 40-something quarterback, the run game was at the bottom of the league’s efficiency charts, and Brady ended up as one of the league leaders in pass attempts—and the unofficial league leader in passing attempts that came with the deck stacked heavily against him. Brady might be the only exec in the NFL who really knows what Smith was going through last season and the toll that such a harsh, offensive environment can take on a quarterback’s performance.”