There were some rumbles around Seattle Seahawks practice Tuesday, as Drew Lock took first team snaps over Geno Smith. According to two The Seattle Times, this was the first time we have seen Lock as QB1 in all of training camp. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said after practice that this was always part of the plan, and that Lock will start the second preseason game this week, via ESPN. However, he also said Smith is still the “number one guy.”
The Seahawks played their first preseason game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers Saturday night, losing 32-25. It was Lock who won the night when it came to Seattle’s quarterback battle, however, as he completed 11 of 15 passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns, while Smith completed 10 of 15 passes for 101 yards — but also rushed for a touchdown.
Smith played the first half, where Seattle scored 10 total points, and Lock played the second half, where the Seahawks scored 15 total points. It wasn’t all perfect for the former Denver Bronco, however, as Lock was strip-sacked late in the fourth quarter when the game was tied, which ultimately led to the Steelers scoring the game-winning touchdown. Still, he seemed to add something more to the offense when he was in.
Smith has long been the leader in the quarterback battle, as he has been with the Seahawks organization for longer and has a better hold of the offense. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has been complimentary of both signal-callers, and was asked earlier this month what Lock had to do to win the competition.
“Just stay out there,” Carroll said, via Pro Football Talk. “He just needs to stay out there and show us how he’s going to make his decisions when the big opportunities come. He’s made a ton of plays already. He’s made a ton of good throws, he really runs well, he’s elusive, he has a really quick trigger, his ability to release the football shows up, he has a lot of talent now. So we just need reps. We need turns, we just need to see more situations to really find any reason to see a difference between the guys. There’s just not enough stuff yet.”
Smith is still in the lead when it comes to this quarterback competition, although it sounds like Lock has been making up some ground.