We still don't really know what we have in Geno. Overall, it was a solid performance last year that still left us with a few questions. The end of the season was a little troubling, but it wasn't like he fell of a cliff. Pure speculation, but I think he just hit a wall, playing a whole season for the first time in a loooong time.
But I also think that the fact that 2022 was Geno's first year playing as a starter all season since 2014 gives us hope. In many ways, he's like a rookie who got the chance to learn a lot from playing the whole season last year. He gets to return this year as the annointed starter, having experience in the same system with the same coaches and players, no key losses and a few upgrades. To me, that's a formula for success and improvement.
Good post
I think you're right in that we won't know what Geno does on the field this year until he actually does it. There's little to lean on but for the success he had for 17 games in 2022. And if you parse through his college game and even his play in NY (it wasn't all that bad - he was asked to carry that team as a rookie and kept them competitive).
But I think we do know a good bit. We have a qb who knows the offense.
He showed that he could make the smart pre snap, single read and throw.
He showed that he can get through his progressions quickly and find the open guy on a given play.
He showed that he can throw with anticipation, touch and timing.
And he did that at a rate of success that statistics confirmed.
If you have a qb who can do the above, you've got better than a fighting chance to do pretty well.
How much better can he be? That's what I want to know. Yes, his completion percentage was high, but so was Russ's. That didn't necessarily translate to 3rd down success for either guy. Can he find ways to make the plays that move the chains consistently on the money down.
Yeah, he got the ball out quickly and had decent poise in hanging in to make the tough throws. But that tendency to ignore the rush, stand in and take a hit, also cost us dearly in 2 games. Can he develop the awareness to break the pocket and just use his legs when it makes more sense?
And he throws with confidence, particularly on presnap, single read plays. But the windows on those throws got progressively smaller as the season wore on. Can he and Shane scheme and disguise their way to a deeper pool of successful plays?
He showed a mastery of the playbook, but it was a relatively shallow well of plays that we relied upon for success. Can he take the next step and make the offense his own the way the elite guys do?
And he's fiery, but can he contain that competitive nature and confidence in his eyes and arm so that it doesn't lead to errant plays and unforced mistakes? Can he play aggressively within the offense. For me, that's the big one, because it relies on things being opened up enough that Geno can push. But it also takes patience on Geno's part to work through the system thoroughly.
If the answer to those questions are yes, we don't just have a solid starter, we have a qbotf for however long he can sling it.
But I think he's shown already that he has the tools to be an above average qb in the league. And with the team we are assembling around him, that alone might be enough to bring significant success.