2 weeks Ago By Tri-City Herald
Geno Smith wanted Jaxon Smith-Njigba to make a Seahawks quarterback meeting. Or three. “He should be (in one),” Smith, Seattle’s veteran, Pro Bowl QB said.
, “because his decision-making is probably a little off.” A For the first time since week three against Miami, more than a month ago, the Seahawks had a two-score lead in a first half at Atlanta last weekend. That allowed play caller Ryan Grubb to open up the offensive playbook with 5 minutes left in the first half.
He called for a trick: a lateral behind the line of scrimmage from Smith to Smith-Njiba, then the second-year wide receiver throwing a pass down the field to streaking DK Metcalf. The play’s design is for the lateral to Smith-Njigba into the right flat with blockers in front of him to draw defensive backs on that side up to the defend it. Except Atlanta’s didn’t.
Two Falcons stayed step for step with Metcalf as he ran his go route. Smith-Njigba threw the ball into double coverage, anyway. Only because it was underthrown — and because the 6-foot-4 Metcalf can out-jump most guys on any field — it become a 35-yard completion.
Smith-Njigba was Seattle first-round draft choice last year — for throwing, not catching, passes. He set multiple Ohio State records including 15 receptions for 347 yards and three touchdowns in the Rose Bowl. He said after the Seahawks’ 34-14 win at Atlanta last weekend that ended their three-game losing streak it’d been since middle school outside his home area of Dallas since he’d thrown a pass in a real game.
“It’d been a minute,” he told The News Tribune at his locker in Georgia. “That play call, when I’m throwing it? I just say, ‘I don’t care. I throwin’ it,’” he said, with a mischievous grin.
“I don’t care. I’m going to throw the ball, and make a play.” Grubb smiled when asked Thursday about Smith-Njigba’s pass.
“We have to work on his level-two throws,” Seattle’s offensive coordinator said. And the wide receiver’s decision to even throw that pass into double coverage? “Yeah,” Grubb said, grinning, “a little bit skeptical there.” Smith said after the game it’s a throw he can never get away with, into two defenders.
“But,” the QB said of Smith-Njigba, “he’s got more important things to worry about as a receiver.” Such as helping carry Metcalf’s hulking load Sunday when the NFC West-leading Seahawks (4-3) host the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills (5-2) at Lumen Field (1:05 p.m.
, channel 13). Metcalf is . He sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee leaping to catch a pass and landing on his knee later in the Atlanta game.
Coach Mike Macdonald said this week it’s a grade-one sprain. The recovery from that as typically one to three weeks. “It’s doubtful right now for the game.
It’s not out of the question, 100%, yet,” Macdonald said following another practice Friday that Metcalf missed. “So we’ll take it to Sunday and then go from there.” Metcalf likely missing a game for just the second time in his six-year NFL career means Smith-Njigba is going to be doing a whole lot more than throwing passes on trick plays against Buffalo.
He and 10th-year veteran Tyler Lockett become Smith’s top receiving targets. It’s second-year Smith-Njigba, not Metcalf or Lockett, who leads the Seahawks with 37 receptions in seven games entering Sunday. Last season, he was a quick-strike specialist with former coordinator Shane Waldron calling Seattle’s plays.
Smith-Njigba spent much of his rookie season with the shortest air yards per target among NFL wide receiver, at just over 2 yards from the line of scrimmage. This season, under Grubb’s new, down-the-field system, Smith-Njigba’s average yards per target is up to 7.6 yards, “I think he has made a huge jump from year one to year two,” Lockett said.
“Obviously, it’s not ideal for any person to go from year one and it’s like you learn this offense and now in year two you’re learning this offense. “He’s done a great job being able to learn this new offense as he’s in year two.” Through seven of 17 regular-season games Smith-Njigba is already more than halfway to his rookie-season totals of 63 receptions for 628 yards.
So if Metcalf indeed can’t do the improbable and play Sunday seven days after spraining the MCL in his knee, the Seahawks and their quarterback don’t feel they don’t have adequate options against the Bills. “Yeah, he’s outstanding. I think JSN is such a special player and when he’s on the field,” Smith said.
“Llke Coach (Macdonald) said, you feel him out there. Whether it’s blocking, whether it’s running a route and he’s getting double-teamed and opening up for another guy or catching the ball and making explosive plays, I think he can do it all. You even saw him throw the ball.
“What I see from him is a relentless work ethic. I think the way that he prepares, the way that he works, is outstanding. You guys don’t get to see him every day in practice, but, I mean, he’s just the same guy every, single day.
And so for a young guy to be building on that and to be really pushing himself in that way, it is only going to make him better. “And so for me, I just got to continue to help him harness it and continue to push him to be the best he can be.” Mike Jerrell starting again Macdonald said Friday rookie Mike Jerrell will make his second consecutive start and second NFL start Sunday at right tackle.
The sixth-round draft choice from Division-II . That was when starter Abe Lucas was still on the physically-unable-to-perform list, and both Stone Forsythe and George Fant were injured and out for the Falcons game. This week, Forsythe went on injured reserve with his hand issue.
Fant returned to practice from injured reserve. Lucas returned to practice for the first time in 10 months. Fant and Lucas have up to 21 days to practice before they must by NFL rules either go on the active roster to play or injured reserve for the rest of the season.
In the meantime, it’s Jerrell protecting Smith’s front side against the Bills. “Mike’s going to start again, and we’re confident in him,” Macdonald said. “ He has had another really good week of practice.
And the message to him is like, ‘Hey, all the people that said you couldn’t play last week are the same ones saying that you’re really great this week.’” Teammates and coaches came up to Jerrell on the sideline during the game in Atlanta and congratulated him for his blocking. He wanted to know what all the fuss was about.
It is, he thought, his job. “You don’t applaud a fish for swimmin’,” he told The News Tribune at his locker following his first game. “I felt like I played OK,” he said.
“I felt like I could have played better. There were some plays I wish I could get back. But it’s good to know this is, like, the worst I’ll ever.
“That’s the bright side. This is the worst you’ll ever be. There’s some technique things I need to clean up.
But I feel like I went out there and battled. And I feel like I showed I can play in the NFL. “I know there probably were some doubts.
‘Kid from Findlay, D-2, can he play in the NFL,’ and the progression from playing D 2 last year...
now playing the Atlanta Falcons, that’s a big stepping stone for me. “It just shows how hard I worked.” Lucas practiced three consecutive days, a good sign he’s coming back from his knee surgery this past winter.
The Seahawks’ plan is for him to take most if not all his 21 days of practicing before he makes his season debut Nov. 17 at San Francisco. That’s the week following Seattle’s bye.
Pregame roster moves fill vacant spot on 53-man roster by activating safety Jerrick Reed II from injured reserve. For the 2nd weekend in a row they elevate cornerbacks Josh Jobe and Faion Hicks from the practice squad for tomorrow’s game vs Buffalo. — Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle).
