THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Can Geno create fireworks, or will he fizzle out?

It feels like just a day ago that we were chatting about quarterbacks.

Wait.

It WAS just a day ago that the subject was Geno Smith — and whether he can help pull the Seahawks from the middle of a swarming NFL pack.

One personnel study after another pegs Geno as an average veteran, more or less what you’d expect from a longtime backup who has inherited full-time work as he’s about to turn 34.

No one tosses out any magic information.

The verdict on Smith is that he has enough talent and experience to win most of the games he ought to win — but that he can’t offer anything you’d call spectacular.

So, yeah.

He’s likely to lose the games he ought to lose.

In other words, if you’re hoping that Geno can create some late-career fireworks with the tools handed over by new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, you’re betting on a long shot.

There’s a different way to look at the 2024 Seahawks, however.

Instead of enduring a migraine by trying to imagine what Geno can bring to the Mike Macdonald era, why not look at it from the other direction?

IS THERE enough talent throughout this young and hungry roster that Macdonald is basically tossing Smith the keys to an F1 Ferrari?

Just don’t get greedy on the turns, Geno, and let that big-time firepower take care of business.

OK, deciding that John Schneider and his front office sharpshooters have turned a fairly average Clydesdale into Ferrari’s famous “Prancing Horse” with just a one-season overhaul might be stretching things a bit.

Seriously, though.

The Hawks are better, top to bottom, than your average couch potato might guess.

This team looked pretty ordinary because of a few glaring weaknesses (not at quarterback, FYI), and most of the problem areas have been fixed.

So, I’m thinking that we’re looking at the Geno Smith situation through the wrong end of the telescope.

Assuming he’s good but not quite elite, do the Seahawks have enough horsepower that Smith can steer this team into contention?

Quarterbacks with that sort of resume have occasionally let the talent around them do the business.

Trent Dilfer inherited the starting job in Baltimore in 2000, and was told simply not to screw things up.

The plan worked all way to victory in Super Bowl XXXV, where Dilfer was 12-for-25 for 153 yards and a TD (with no mistakes).

Did Dilfer continue playing the hero’s role for the Ravens?

Not exactly.

He wasn't brought back the following season.

I’m not saying that Geno Smith will wind up on the same career path, only that he’s good enough to win plenty of games if the team around him is something special.

If you look at the various preseason QB rankings, Smith checks in between Nos. 17 and 25 — pretty bang average in a 32-team league.

Nobody thinks he’s Patrick Mahomes, but likewise he isn’t considered a stiff, either.

THAT’S A fair set-up for a quarterback waiting on the right team.

Jared Goff in Detroit a year ago, for instance.

We mentioned that the Seahawks had some obvious holes — problems at the line of scrimmage come to mind immediately.

There have been some fairly dynamic patch-up jobs, though.

In fact, the drafting of Byron Murphy II, a 6-foot, 300-pound ball of muscle might show dramatic results in the center of the defense line.

Speaking of centers, the Hawks grabbed Connor Williams from Miami to anchor the offense — assuming he’s healthy coming off a knee injury.

There is an impressive list of newcomers who have arrived via draft, trade and just plain spending some money (extension for defensive tackle Leonard Williams).

It would be shocking if this year’s Seahawks are not noticeably improved.

Even at quarterback, Schneider traded for some insurance — Sam Howell, last year’s starter for Washington.

The whole package should make Geno Smith a man with a lot of weapons.

He may suddenly turn into a better quarterback.

Let’s see, shall we?

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”