Former ESPN personality Amin Elhassan, now a frequent contributor to The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, went out on a limb this summer when he predicted Seahawks veteran Geno Smith would enjoy a breakout season, rewriting his narrative after largely being cast as an underachiever, a failed second-round pick relegated to journeyman status.
The Seahawks were widely ridiculed for their bizarre Smith experiment, replacing future Hall-of-Famer Russell Wilson, not with a talented newcomer but with a low-wattage 32-year-old arguably best known for getting slugged by a teammate over an unpaid debt (he was also the subject of this iconic rant by Mike Francesa). In fact, many opined that, by handing the keys to Smith, the Seahawks were making a mockery of the sport, blatantly tanking in pursuit of a better pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
But while others took the Seahawks to task, dismissing their futile attempt to resurrect the career of an embattled backup who hadn’t played meaningful snaps in almost a decade, Elhassan saw potential, showing incredible foresight by forecasting Smith for exactly 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, hitting both totals right on the nose.
What’s remarkable is football isn’t even Elhassan’s area of expertise, providing expert NBA analysis on Basketball Illuminati, a podcast he co-hosts with fellow ESPN alum Tom Haberstroh. At the time, Elhassan’s Smith projection was seen as so outlandish and unrealistic that his Le Batard colleague Chris Wittyngham vowed to do a show in his underwear if any of his predictions came true.
Clearly, Wittyngham hadn’t counted on Smith, a late-bloomer if there ever was one, going nuclear with one of the most improbable seasons in recent memory, earning his first Pro Bowl nod on the strength of 4,282 passing yards and a league-best 69.8 completion percentage while throwing more touchdown passes than Tom Brady and reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers.
Smith, who finds himself neck and neck with Christian McCaffrey in betting odds for Comeback Player of the Year, will make his playoff debut against the 49ers this weekend, capping an unprecedented turnaround for a player most of the league had given up on years earlier.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram