Seahawks vs. Broncos at Lumen Field in Week 1 is almost becoming a September tradition at Lumen Field. For the second time in the last three seasons, Seattle opened the year against Denver at home. Life moves fast in the NFL and a lot has changed since the Broncos lost 17-16 at Monday night football until 2022.

Both teams have gone through a lot of changes since then, but one constant has been Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. Yet even Smith isn’t the same player he was then. Two years ago, Smith was seen as a liability at quarterback. A veteran backup who won a preseason contest, but was only a bridge until Seattle could find someone else. Instead, Smith proved he was more than capable of being a starter, earning two Pro Bowl nominations and taking home Comeback Player of the Year honors.

We are now entering the third year of the Geno Smith era. During the post-game press conference, I asked Smith how he would assess his growth as a player and leader. Smith gave an honest and humble answer, as is his style.

“Hopefully my teammates can relate to this, but personally I just feel like I

have chosen the approach to get better every day,” said Smith. “I’ve applied that approach to my leadership, my faith walk, and also to all the football stuff. Hopefully the guys can attest to that and say that I’ve grown. Just trying to get better every day. Really just staying in that mindset.”

Of course, the last time these two teams played each other, Smith gave the NFL world an all-time postgame quote by saying “They wrote me off, but I didn’t write back.” According to Smith himself, he still has not responded.

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This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Geno Smith reflects on his development since the Seahawks last played the Broncos