For the first time in his NFL career, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson missed practice. He was not in attendance on Friday in order to attend his grandfather’s funeral.
In his absence, Seattle’s two backup quarterbacks – Geno Smith and Paxton Lynch – were given an opportunity to run with the first teamers during scrimmages.
Neither played exceptionally well, giving Seahawks fans a sobering reminder of what life would look like without Wilson this season.
“Today I think we had some ups and downs,” Smith commented after practice. “We had a couple red zone periods where we were really good, and then some plays where obviously we can improve on. That’s what practice is for, everyone’s gotta get on the same page.”
Smith had one of the most memorable plays of the day, an overthrow of rookie running back Travis Homer out of the backfield that lead to a pick six for linebacker K.J. Wright.
Despite the ugly interception, Smith still outplayed Lynch – who struggled with accuracy throughout the drills and in the scrimmage.
Smith and Lynch have both been through quarterback battles in the past, and this is nothing new for either of them.
“Everyone does it different,” Smith continued. “We’re all competing out here for one job. The best man is gonna win, so you gotta go out there and execute. That’s pretty simple.”
Wilson is expected to be back in time for Saturday’s scrimmage game at Pop Keeney stadium in Bothell, WA at 1:30 p.m. PT.
