After a successful first quarter by Philip Rivers, all eyes turned to Geno Smith at the beginning of the second as he took the field Saturday night against the Seattle Seahawks.
Last week, Smith showcased his skills, going 14-for-23 with 218 passing yards, a touchdown and a QB rating of 88.7. He also held the most passing yards for an NFL QB that week.
He came out even stronger on Saturday, going 6-for-8, including a beautiful high-arching pass to find Mike Williams in the end zone. Smith ended the night with a QB rating of 148.4.
"Personally, I felt pretty good out there," Smith remarked. "I think the (offensive) line did a great job protecting, and the wide receivers did a wonderful job of getting open. It just made my job easier."
Smith signed with the Chargers after playing for the Giants last year, and is currently vying to back up veteran quarterback Philip Rivers. He noted that being able to watch Rivers is one of the best parts of his job, explaining how number 17 is helping him become an even better quarterback.
"I'm blown away by Philip," he said. "Every single day I learn something new. Just being able to see how competitive he is, how smart he is, the way he treats the game is similar to how I treat the game. I'm a little feisty, and he is (too). I love that about him. I love being in the room with him and all the guys, Cardale (Jones), Nic (Shimonek), Shane (Steichen) and Whiz (Ken Whisenhunt), we're all one big group and we're all working together."
Meanwhile, Smith also stressed that Rivers is far from the only teammate he's blown away by.
"We're the deepest team I've ever been on," he said. "By far the most talented team I've ever been on, and I think the one thing we have here is great leadership. We're all working hard and following the lead of the veteran guys and just getting better."
With a talented group of teammates, Smith wants to make the most of his opportunities this preseason and is focused on working hard.
"Every single opportunity is important, and you've got to take advantage of it," he said. "Every time I get an opportunity, I look forward to it and I try to go out there and be at my best."
In order to turn those opportunities into successes, Smith needs to be comfortable on the field. Even with six years in the league under his belt, the quarterback remains a student of the game.
"I've been studying my butt off and I'm still staying within the playbook," he noted. "Putting in those after hours, I think that's what's helping me out the most."
