When Pete Carroll made the decision to roll with Geno Smith as his starting quarterback, it was met with near-unanimous ridicule.Many wondered how an NFL coachcould entrust the season to a quarterback who has started just five games since 2015, let alone one with a 13-21 record. And why wouldn't they pursue another quarterback via trade, like Jimmy Garoppolo or Baker Mayfield?Thus far, Carroll, Smith and the Seahawks have proven everyone wrong. They have started the season with a 4-3 record and are perched alone atop the NFC West, ahead of the reigning Super Bowl champion Rams and sleeper-darling 49ers. And their performance has been made po sible by Smith.Smith is putting together what will easily be the best season of his NFL career to date. He leads the league with a 73.5 completion percentage and has generated 1,712 yards, 11 touchdowns and just three interceptions while leading the Seahawks to 26.1 points per game, good for the fifth-highest mark in the NFL.IYER: Just how has Smith made that type of leap? The 32-year-old quarterback told that his improvement has been thanks to his time as a backup quarterback."I know Im better for all those years," Smith said of his seven years as a backup with the Jets, Giants, Chargers and Seahawks. "Coming into this year, I wasnt sure what would happen after the trade of Wilson to Denver . When Pete Carroll hit me up and was like, Hey Im giving you an opportunity to compete for the job, I mean, thats all you have to say to me. That was awesome."Smith described not starting much over those seven years as "heartbreaking" because of his competitive nature. He also explained that he didn't exactly get a lot of time to prove himself during Bravvion Roy Jersey his time starting with the Jets.The reality is, its hard to win in the NFL with a young quarterback," he said. "Thats just the reality of the NFL. So much goes on that you have to know in order to be succe sful. Quarterbacking is a skill more than just a talent."Im just happy Ive just continued to develop," he added. "Sometimes they give up on you fast."MORE:Smith explained that there simply isn't as much patience with young quarterbacks in the current, results-driven NFL. He lamented that his numbers were "kind of skewed" early in his development and that rookies struggling is just a part of the NFL.If you look at Peyton Manning, if you just judge his rookie season, youd never think Peyton Manning wouldve become what he became. Steve Young, too. Troy Aikman. The list goes on and on and on. Just gotta have patience with young quarterbacks. You gotta find the right young quarterbacks with the right mentality who are gonna continue to work and have a great attitude about the game and the struggle.Smith is adamant that he just needed more time to develop. He got that in his backup roles and finally got to compete for a starting job with the Seahawks this season.He also credited Carroll for trusting him when no other franchise wanted him as anything more than a backup."Hes shown faith in me," Smith said. "Thats just what I need."Smith has returned that trust, and so have his teammates. That's part of what he believes is leading the Seahawks to their strong start.Our succe s so far starts with the trust and belief of our head coach," he said. "Not many coaches would start two rookies on the offensive line, a rookie running back, two rookie cornerbacks. Not many coaches would be comfortable starting a quarterback who hasnt played in many years. But Pete does it because he knows what hes looking at. Hes played young guys before, lots of times. Hes taken chances on players, lots of times. He knows how to coach ball. You can see that this year."MORE: As good as the coaching has been, Smith and the other Seahawks know that they have to continue to work hard to stay atop the NFC West.But like his coach had faith in him, Smith believes that the Seahawks will continue to play well and work hard as they look to make a playoff push.I think were built to last for this season and many seasons," he said. "But ultimately, it comes down to what we do, not what we say. Its about the work we put in. its about the consistency. And our preparation and consistency and our togetherne s. Thats all that matters. As long as we continue to build together, the skys the limit."It takes work. It takes hard work. We gotta embrace that part of it. Patrick Ricard Jersey