One of the most attractive bullet points Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron has on his résumé is his role in helping Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith revitalize his career.
What was his role in helping Smith and how did he earn his first Pro Bowl nod in Year 10?
"My experience with Geno was unbelievable," Waldron said during his opening press conference on Thursday. "It started with him as a player. I think when you talk in terms of what guys can learn from him, it was a unique ability to have a positive mindset no matter what the scenario was. When I got a chance to start working with him, there was an unwavering mindset that he was a starting quarterback in the NFL, which I think is part of the thought process that every quarterback and every player in this league is going to have.
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"To be lucky enough to work with a guy like that that had that mindset and then to be able to start to develop that relationship with him and that rapport, where we can get into gameday and feel like 'Hey, we're on exactly the same page on everything that's going on.' That's something I would take from that moment with him. The teaching, the coaching, it starts with how well you're getting to know these guys. What's the relationship like with them?"
It's true, Waldron arrived in Seattle in 2021 during Smith's second year as a backup signal caller. By that point, he had played one game for the Seahawks. In 2021, Smith got four games under his belt, going 1-2 as a starter and posting 175 yards per game.
But in 2022, Smith took off.
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He threw for over 4,200 yards (8th in NFL), posting 30 touchdowns (4th in NFL) and 11 interceptions on a 69.8% (t-1st in NFL) completion clip. His explosion was uncanny, as he finished with a 62.8 QBR (7th in the NFL) and a 100.9 passer rating (5th in the NFL).
For that, in Year 10, Smith earned his first Pro Bowl nod, along with the league's Comeback Player of the Year award. Despite having traded away Russell Wilson --- the franchise's mainstay signal caller for years prior --- Smith rejuvenated a seemingly depleted Seahawks team from his seemingly depleted career.
This past season wasn't quite the same, but still, he chucked over 3,600 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions. For a guy who threw 12 touchdowns and 21 interceptions during his rookie outing, and was an NFL journeyman for three years after his miserable stint with the Jets, it's safe to say something changed in Seattle.
And Waldron credits his attitude for most of the change. But Waldron's connection, as he mentioned, played a part in Smith's success. Their ability to be on the same page each game helped the Seahawks to an unlikely playoff berth in 2022.
But there's one issue with that. The Bears don't know who their signal caller will be definitively for the 2024 season. Waldron admitted he exchanged messages with Fields. But, without explicitly saying the name "Caleb Williams," he also commended a fruitful season for "college quarterbacks" this past season.
What's Waldron's confidence level for building an offense without knowing who the team's quarterback is? He believes he can build an offense for whoever steps into that role.
"I totally believe that," Waldron said. "I think in the past experiences, like I said, with different quarterbacks, different experience levels, whether I was in the coordinator role or in a role as a position coach, I felt that way. I felt different quarterbacks have been able to step foot into the system, be able to learn it quickly, and that starts with us being able to teach it in a good and efficient manner where they understand it and then being able to go, and again, just because each guy’s gonna have a different skillset, so what direction does it go? The players really take ownership and control of that."
Waldron was able to help build Smith into a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback in one season. Can he apply the same formula to Fields or Williams next year?
"Having that understanding of their 'why' and seeing Geno how he worked, how he was totally dialed in no matter what the scenario was," Waldron said. "Whether he was gonna be the starter that week, whether he was a backup when I was first around him, that was unwavering and his confidence from that was unwavering."