Geno Smith furious with ‘criminal’ Stedman Bailey rejection in 2012 - “He was ROBBED”
Geno Smith might have followed up his college career with a forgettable decade in the NFL, but back in college, he was as electric as anyone. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback addressed his college days on Twitter, giving a big chunk of the credit to his wide receiver Stedman Bailey. The comments were made in response to a fan who questioned why Smith wasn't a finalist for the Heisman.
Here's how Smith worded his response:
Stedman was ROBBED of the Beltinikoff that year.. that was the real crime twitter.com/eersworld/stat…
"Stedman was ROBBED of the Beltinikoff that year.. that was the real crime."
Geno Smith's college stats
The Seattle Seahawks quarterback suited up for the West Virginia Mountaineers from 2009-2012. Just like most successful college careers go, the quarterback red-shirted his first season, throwing just 32 passes as a freshman. However, in 2010, his play began an upward trend as he threw for 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions as a Sophomore.
In 2011, he threw for 31 touchdowns and seven interceptions as a Junior, and in 2012, he posted the best stats of his college career, just in time for the NFL. He threw for 42 touchdowns and six interceptions, completing more than 71% of his throws.
Even his 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions, had they come in his final season, would have likely been enough to at least get him a shot to make an NFL roster. That said, at the end of his college career, he showed teams that he wasn't afraid to win, and he didn't get complacent.
Stedman Bailey's stats in the 2012 season
Similar to Geno Smith's college career, Bailey's time in college started slowly and rocketed to career bests every season. In 2010, he earned 317 yards and four touchdowns. In 2011, he earned 1,279 yards and 12 touchdowns. However, his performance in 2012 dwarfed both of those seasons combined.
I love Stedman Bailey, Geno Smith and Tavon Austin #WVU
In 13 games, he caught a whopping 114 catches for 1,622 yards and 25 touchdowns. In other words, he averaged almost two touchdowns per game. If someone had him in fantasy football, they would have won the league in all likelihood.
Of course, his NFL career wasn't nearly as explosive, lasting just as long as his college career did. He would only go on to catch two touchdowns and 59 passes in his career, earning 843 yards through the air for the St. Louis Rams.