Chargers quarterback Geno Smith was this week's guest on the tenth episode of the Backstage: Chargers Podcast presented by Toyota.
Smith is in his sixth NFL season and first with Los Angeles. Among the topics: a look back at his 656-yard, eight touchdown game while playing for West Virginia; his aspirations to coach football; sharing a quarterbacks room with both Eli Manning and Philip Rivers; his work in the community – both in New York and Los Angeles, and more.
Highlights from the conversation are below:
On a future in coaching:
"I enjoy being around the guys and I enjoy the game planning part of it – the preparation and all that. … I always pick the offensive coordinator's brain about, 'What got you into coaching? How did you become an OC? Who is your mentor?' Those type of things. And I was talking to Whiz (Ken Whisenhunt) about that maybe two weeks ago and just telling him that I wanted to coach. I always saw myself doing other things, but at the end of the day this is what I love to do. So, I think I'll always be into football."
Sharing a QBs room with Manning and Rivers:
"It's awesome. I've been blessed the past two years with Eli and being with Phil; just seeing the way these guys prepare, and now I have a clear view of what it should look like. So, whenever I get my chance again, I understand that this is how it should be done. This is how you prepare through the week. This is a winning formula, and then you just try to mimic that and do it to the best of your ability, but with the same type of structure."
On continuing his work in the community – from New York to Los Angeles:
"It's a new environment, but it's still the same mentality: still give back, still try and – like I said – be a good influence on people outside of yourself because we take care of our families and obviously we try and put back into them, but there's a whole community out there that needs leadership and it starts with us. It starts with the athletes and the entertainers and all the people that are visibly in the spotlight because people are looking to us for an example of what to be like."
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