Geno Smith and Drew Lock are locked in a quarterback battle to become the Seattle Seahawks starter that is destined to go deep into training camp.
Thus far, the competition has been healthy, not acrimonious.
"We both understand that we're both trying to be the starter for this team," Lock said Wednesday, via the team's official website. "We're not stepping on each other's shoes, we're not getting mad at one another. It's just, 'All right, he took it that day, I took it this day. I broke us down this time, he broke us down this time.' They need to hear both of us, they need to feel both of us. It's been really nice, it's been really easy. I appreciate the way Geno has handled it, and I hope he appreciates the way I've handled it as well."
Smith hasn't had a chance to be a regular starter since his days with the New York Jets. Lock lost an offseason QB battle to Teddy Bridgewater while with the Denver Broncos last season.
Lock is attempting to learn from last year's misstep in Denver and enjoy his new surroundings in Seattle.
"I tried to compare the whole time," he said. "'Did Teddy beat me that day? Did I win that day?' Overall, if you start thinking like that, it's just not good for your mental. It's not good for your process of becoming a better quarterback. It's not about who won that day; it's about, did I get better today to make the guys around me better? Because if I'm playing my best, the other 10 dudes around me are going to be playing really good football too. So just not comparing. Comparison is the thief of joy is what (former Missouri coach) Barry Odom told me one day when I was in college and that's kind of stuck with me."
Lock will likely enter camp with a slight edge given his raw talents, but don't count out Smith, who is spending his fourth offseason in Seattle. After seeing little time behind Russell Wilson, the 31-year-old is champing at the bit to get another shot at being a starter.
"As far as the reps go, yeah (it's different)," Smith said of this year compared to previous ones in Seattle. "Getting a lot of reps with the ones, being able to actually rep with the guys I'm going to play with in the game, that's the difference. But as far as my mentality, it all stays the same. I've always prepared the same way since Day 1, and I think that's the reason I even get this opportunity is because of that."
Little will be decided until both quarterbacks see action in the preseason to determine the starter. And, hey, maybe before then, another potential starter wiggles free, and Seattle decides to scrap this QB competition completely. You never can tell with bees.
