Geno Smith share some positive words about ‘great teacher’ Dave Canales

Smith worked with Canales during his career season in 2022.

Dave Canales is moving up in the coaching world, adding yet another name to the list of former assistants under Pete Carroll who ascended to the role of Head Coach. This clearly speaks highly to the acumen and talents of Canales; after taking on the OC role for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he coached an eerily similar performance out of a resurgent Baker Mayfield, who put together a career season en route to a 9-8 record and a postseason appearance.

Canales seems to have earned a reputation as a “QB-whisperer” of sorts. Geno Smith shared some positive words about his former coach, and from the sounds of it, he has nothing but positive expectations for the Carolina Panthers under his leadership. Here is a snippet from the official Carolina Panthers team website:

“When it comes to his relationship with the quarterback with Bryce, he’s a guy who has been around a lot of great quarterbacks, and he knows how to coach him. He’s coached some really good quarterbacks, and he has a system, he has a style,” Smith said. “He knows exactly what he wants done and how he wants it done and he’s going to get Bryce to do that through repetition, through practice. Through meeting time in the classroom and the film room. I think that’s going to pay off a bunch for Bryce because he’s already, I think, a talented quarterback. And I think having Dave is going to help him become even better.”

Smith didn’t stop there, as he continued to express why he thinks Canales will be such a positive presence for Bryce Young, whose rocky rookie season has led to some rough assessments of his NFL future.

“He’s a great teacher. He knows the game. He understands the game. He can help guys develop and help them develop faster,” Smith said.

“A phenomenal coach who loves ball, loves people, he loves to coach, loves to teach. He’s patient. He’s understanding. And also, he’s a guy who’s ever-evolving. He understands that you got to continue to improve. So, he’s the guy who’s going to focus on the process, not just the result. And I think that process is daily improvement. And I think that’ll help any organization or any player.”

It is crystal clear that Geno Smith isn’t just giving Canales a professional courtesy here. This sounds like a genuine endorsement. If the last two seasons are an indication of what is to come, this should come as no surprise.