Silver Minings: Geno Smith is leading by example

Las Vegas Raiders Geno Smith

The Las Vegas Raiders wanted to upgrade the quarterback position this offseason. Instead of the draft, John Spytek and Pete Carroll decided to go the veteran route by trading for Seattle Seahawks’ Geno Smith.

Smith is coming off an up-and-down season in which the Seahawks missed the playoffs and is hoping for a bounce-back year. He has already taken the reins of leadership in the locker room and is displaying that he can help push the roster to the next level. Smith spoke on his leadership skills during his press conference on Friday.

“Yeah, I think leadership, to me, comes naturally, being the oldest child in my family,” Smith said during OTAs. “So, always having to lead by example. I think for me when you talk about leadership, it really comes down to integrity. It’s a big thing for me, it’s what you do when no one’s watching.

“And I try to be a passionate leader, but I also try to lead by example. So I’m not the biggest talker, instead, I’m the guy who’s trying to be the hardest worker. And so, I just want to continue to lead by example and push myself, push my teammates to get better.”

The leadership of Smith is something the Raiders lacked last season. It will be refreshing for a locker room to have a quarterback who they believe can deliver every time.

In other Raiders links:

• Raiders in Las Vegas ‘a home run for the NFL’: Las Vegas Review-Journal writes about the Raiders move to Las Vegas five years later.
• Geno Smith, Pete Carroll hoping to repeat success in Vegas: Seattle Sports takes a deep dive into Geno Smith and Pete Carroll reuniting in Las Vegas.
• Raiders mailbag: Will the team sign a veteran wide receiver before camp?: Las Vegas Review-Journal answers all your questions about the Raiders.