THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Maybe Seahawks CAN win with Geno at quarterback

I’ve been ready for the question. 

For weeks. 

Months, even. 

Except that I thought readers would start in early October, and then really hit their stride in mid-November. 

In fact, I chuckled a bit and made a note marking Nov. 25, which happens to be my birthday. 

(Good grief, I’m getting old!) 

But never mind that. 

The 25th is a Monday. 

I thought perhaps the timing would be right for an avalanche of mail. 

Not birthday cards, either. 

Nope, I was thinking more like a 21st century version of an angry torchlight parade. 

It would be a reaction to the Seahawks’ 27-16 loss to Arizona on the 25th, with Kyler Murray skittering all over Lumen Field and the defeat dropping Seattle to 5-6. 

The feeling after that game wouldn’t be good, with Geno Smith throwing two bad interceptions in the fourth quarter as the Hawks tried to mount a rally. 

No use. 

The surprising Cardinals would jump into a tie atop the NFC West with the win and the Seahawks, well, it was impossible to avoid thinking we’d be seeing another year in the middle of the pack. 

SO, MAIL would be coming. 

The theme: “They can’t win anything with Geno at quarterback.” 

There would be endless complaints that Geno was average, but nothing more than that. 

Competent, but hardly capable of carrying a team into the postseason and the tougher challenges that go with it. 

And of course, there would be people who want to say they LIKE Geno, but don’t think his skills — and certainly not his athleticism — will sharpen at age 34. 

If something like that scenario occurs this season, the Seahawks will be in a bind. 

Geno is working under a bargain contract, and he’s not guaranteed any money beyond this season. 

John Schneider and Mike Macdonald want to start a run of championship-level seasons in Seattle. 

They are looking beyond this fall, which suggests they NEED to find a younger and more talented quarterback. 

And the fans? 

Can you picture Hawks Nation being pleased at getting stuck in the go-round of quarterback musical chairs we’re watching now — with slightly better-than-average QBs like Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr, Jacoby Brissett and Sam Darnold turning up in new uniforms each fall. 

They aren’t going to win anything, but they will take more of their teams’ money and cap space. 

Geno Smith fits right into that tier of quarterback. 

He’s good enough to nudge a really solid roster to 10 wins, but also limited to the point that he could be a 6- or 7-win guy if things don’t fall exactly into place. 

Geno isn’t a guy who can win games on his own. 

There aren’t many quarterbacks who can carry a team, keep right on winning — and wind up deep in the postseason mix, even when the surrounding cast changes. 

Schneider and Macdonald are hunting for THAT guy, and I promise you they talked about it in the now-famous “guys out for beers evening” that wound up with Mac landing the Hawks coaching job. 

QUESTION: Can the Seahawks win a Super Bowl with Geno Smith at quarterback? 

The people who run the club have been asking that question for more than a year — and then Macdonald, the defensive wizard, joined the brain trust this season. 

Schneider, more than anyone, really understands the magic of landing the special QB. 

John grew up just outside Green Bay, and began his pro football work as an intern to Ron Wolf, the Packer wizard who created a Super Bowl champion team out of cast-offs, surprise acquisitions and low draft choices. 

Wolf was the exec who convinced the Falcons (and Jerry Glanville) to trade him Brett Favre — and his Hall of Fame QB won them the Super Bowl. 

The point is that Schneider understands how this works at the top of the pyramid. 

You can’t keep churning through decent quarterbacks, because decent won’t win titles. 

You have to find the special guy, however you get him. 

Geno Smith will always keep a good team competitive, and never let a group fall apart. 

The question, though, is whether the Seahawks can win championships with Geno — and if not, what’s next. 

I suspect that Macdonald and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will get the most out of Geno, and find ways to make up for his lack of quickness. 

We’ll see, but hang on to your questions. 

Geno is undefeated. 

For now.

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.”