Seahawks' Carroll on Geno Smith Using Wristband: There Was 'Resistance' in the Past

The Seattle Seahawks have been the biggest surprise of the 2022 season thanks to an offense that has flourished under veteran quarterback Geno Smith.

Head coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday that he believes a key difference this year is Smith's willingness to wear a wristband to facilitate play-calling, which is a departure from how things were under longtime quarterback Russell Wilson.

"If you notice, Geno's going off the wristband, and that's a big help," Carroll said on Seattle Sports 710 AM (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). "It's smoothed things out, sped things up, cleaned things up. And that's part of it, too. We never did that before. There was resistance to that, so we didn't do that before."

Smith's use of the wristband has made things easy for offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Carroll said the two have developed a chemistry.

"When Shane says something to Geno, he's not doubting it. He's just going with it, so there's a real immediate flow and that accelerates all the process," Carroll said.

While Carroll didn't mention Wilson, it was clear he was contrasting how things were when he was behind center. Wilson made nine Pro Bowls with the Seahawks, but in his final year there was a narrative that he wasn't given freedom to run the offense.

Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos in the offseason, and the team has struggled to live up to the lofty expectations that came with the acquisition. The 33-year-old has thrown for 1,694 yards and six touchdowns with four interceptions in seven games. The Broncos are 3-5.

Conversely, Smith has thrived this season, ranking sixth in the NFL with 2,199 passing yards and tying for fifth with 15 touchdowns against just four interceptions. The longtime backup is playing the best football of his 10-year career.

The Seahawks (6-3) will go for their fifth straight win when they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) at Allianz Arena in Munich on Sunday.