Las Vegas Raiders: Quotes and analysis from QB Geno Smith’s introductory press conference
Raiders new QB Geno Smith says he’s ready to bring “Stability, consistency, integrity, and leadership” To the organization. He also said that after the trade, Raiders’ minority owner and hall of fame quarterback Tom Brady reached out and told him about how big of a fan he is of Geno’s game and he actually went to Brady’s house for a few hours to talk about “Life and ball”.
He also spoke with Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers, and said he’s excited to get to work with both Meyers and Brock Bowers, who both had 1,000+ yards last season. “Brock is already so talented and productive, we’re only gonna help each other get better, grow and improve. I can’t wait to see what that looks like, the work starts now.”
Geno also elaborated how he was excited to get to “Unfinished business” With Pete Carroll. When asked what else he wants to bring to the Raiders, Geno said “Winning. I think at the end of the day when you bring the things that I spoke on earlier like leadership, consistency, integrity, stability, that all leads to winning and that’s what is most important, so we’re gonna put the work in and find ways to do that regardless.”
How he plans to win with the Raiders
“Be hard working, it’s about us going out there and earning every single thing. Wins, respect, all of us gotta know and believe we gotta earn it and put the work in, I wanna be the guy that sets the tone and it’s important my teammates know that I want us to do everything it takes to win and that starts immediately. I wanna be the first guy in and last guy out and my teammates to know I will never let up and will run through a brick wall for them no matter what.”
Preparation for the season
“From now and going forward I just want to get closer to my teammates, coaching staff, everyone in this building. Whether it’s meetings, throwing football on grass at a park, training camp, OTA’s, preseason or regular season. When the regular season comes I want to be fully acclimated with a lot of chemistry with everyone and the system so by then we can just keep building on something special.”
On playing with superstar Maxx Crosby
The work is most important. You always wanna play someone who practices hard, plays hard, never lets up. It’s inspiring and motivating and again, will only lead to a winning culture. I wanna be the Maxx on offense, because ultimately, especially as quarterback of this team, that’s my job. I’ve always loved Maxx and now being on the same team as him I’m excited to get to work and turn things around for this team and start winning because the fans deserve it.”
Thoughts on Raider Nation
I love the Raider Nation. Being on the other side back when I played against them when I played for the Jets, they were always very loud and intimidating. They have the costumes, the shoulder pads with spikes. The loudness, the intensity. They want to win and they deserve to, so I can’t wait to be on the right side of them now and have them cheering for me and I’m excited to get to work so they can see some winning football again, and we can build something special for them, because again, I really can’t say it enough, they truly deserve it. They’re an incredible and very loyal, passionate fanbase who hasn’t seen a lot of wins in recent years and I’m glad to be here and to be the one to come in and change that for them starting now.”
On what he wants to prove with the Raiders
“I wanna prove I’m one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I don’t mean to be cocky but I put the work in and know my abilities. I’m excited to get to work and prove I’m one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. But I don’t like to talk so I won’t say much more, I’ll just let my work show on the field in the regular season when it matters, but just know, like Marshawn Lynch says, I’m about that action.”
Conclusion and analysis
Geno Smith is locked in and ready to give it all he’s got to win with the Raiders, just like he did in Seattle. He seems motivated, focused and inspired to lead the team back to winning. If the Raiders have a stellar draft, I think they can put together something very special and even win as soon as this year, but only time will tell.