The Seahawks earned an impressive road victory on Sunday, beating the NFC South-leading Falcons 34-14 to snap a three-game losing streak and improve to 4-3. Sunday also brought sadness for for Seahawks and sports fans throughout the region, however, with news coming out that broadcasting legend Tony Ventrella died on Saturday.

So before we get to football questions, we're going to start off today's mailbag giving fans a chance to share some memories and thoughts on Ventrella. As always, thanks to everyone who asked questions this week, and apologies if I wasn't able to get to yours this time around. And remember, the mailbag is always open for submissions at Seahawks.com/mailbag.

@BrianOw49363897 said, "I never met him, but he was in my living room almost every night. He made sports what they are supposed to be… fun. And those of us of a certain generation will always remember the Wrestling Hold of the Week."

Brian perfectly sums up the relationship most of the region had with Tony. You might not have known him, personally, but he felt like a close friend or family member because he brought his love of sports, sense of humor and compassion into our homes for decades.

@dJJ_206 said, "Tony did a great video of the team on locker cleanout day after winning the Super Bowl. It was obviously a special day for the franchise. I'd love to see the whole piece again."

You're right, it is a great piece, and here it is for anyone who missed it a decade ago or just wants to see it again:

@sprtingmansow said, "I don't have personal stories with Tony, but he was someone I remember fondly. Great Seahawks and an example of why the Seahawks are a first-class organization."

@KDJohns said, "My late wife and I (she also died from cancer) moved to Bellevue in 2002. We instantly loved Tony. We would see him around and briefly talked to him a couple of times, and he was so nice and sweet. RIP, my good man."

@greatkeith360 shared a pic of himself with Tony at a 12 Tour even in Bellingham:

@TheCrappyTotals said, "During the MLB strike, he would show Mariners 'highlights' that consisted of stick figure drawing slideshows."

That sounds hilarious. I don't remember that from my childhood, but I'll have to see if I can find a video of it.

@deejay_beaver said, "When Top Pot Doughnuts opened in Sodo, some friends and I skipped school to go down there. We parked next to a classic car. I looked in and saw Tony's press credentials hanging in it. Sure enough, he was there interviewing people. I'll always remember that.

@rdelkins73 said, "Tony was always my voice of the Seahawks. He'll be sorely missed."

@oscarhy said (if google properly translated it from Spanish, and apologies, Oscar, if it's incorrect), "I had the chance to say hello to Tony the first time I attended a game in Seattle. He was very attentive and kind, a great person. RIP."

And finally, a story from my boss, vice president of digital and emerging media, Kenton Olson. Kenton shared this story with us earlier this week and I asked him if we could relay it here, because it covers so much of what was great about Tony, including his generosity, his resourcefulness to get to where he needed to go, a key trait for a good reporter, and it no doubt shows that, when you're Tony Freakin' Ventrella, people in Seattle are going to help you get things done.

From Kenton: "Tony offered to give me a ride to the airport once. Just after he dropped me off, I noticed I forgot my phone in his car. Before going through TSA, I pulled out my laptop to email my family my flight schedule and to let them know I didn't have my phone and where I would meet them. I then proceed through TSA and get to my gate. Upon arrival Tony was waiting for me waving my phone, 'KO. You forgot your phone!' He proceeds to tell me that he left his car at the departures curb with a police officer, went to the airline counter where he asked the agent for a ticket to get through TSA, and talked a TSA agent to let him cut the line. I was shocked, but remember thinking to myself it is the most Tony moment ever. He was always willing to go out of his way to help others regardless of the situation, and everyone he encountered felt he was his friend. He was a remarkable person that will be missed."

Thank you all for sharing about Tony. And now onto some football questions…

Terry from Lynden asks, "Can you please get a better QB? Gino (sic) sucks in my opinion. We win the first three games then lose the next three. What the heck is going on?"

A: As you can probably tell, this question came before the win in Atlanta, but I'm addressing it anyway because, quite frankly, there are a lot of really bad opinions about Geno Smith floating around out there, and there have been for too long.

First off, if you're going to insult somebody's competence, you should probably at least be able to correctly spell a four-letter first name. (Glass houses, stones, etc.), but getting to the point of this question.

Through seven games, Smith is undoubtedly the MVP of the Seahawks, and not just because he plays the most important position, though that's part of it, but also because he's playing really, really good football, and in several games, doing so while playing in a rather one-dimensional offense, meaning in theory it should make it that much easier for teams to defend the pass and rush the passer.

Despite being pressured at a pretty high rate, Smith has managed to lead the league in passing yards, completing passes at a 68.5 percent rate. His 8-6 touchdown to interception ratio doesn't jump off the stat sheet, but the Seahawks have gotten nine rushing touchdowns from Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, and while not great for a quarterback's stats, being able to run in the red zone in huge.

And the majority of those interceptions have been the result of Smith getting hit while he throws, Smith trying to make things happen in desperation time late while trailing, or, as was well documented last week, DK Metcalf breaking off his route just as Smith threw the ball, giving a 49ers cornerback an easy path to the ball in the space Metcalf vacated.

Every week, Smith makes some absurd plays maneuvering in the pocket to avoid a pass rush before firing off an accurate throw, and every week, he makes a throw or two that combines arm strength an accuracy that very, very few quarterbacks on the planet possess.

Seriously, how can people watch plays like that and not see that Smith is a really darn good quarterback?

At this point, it's hard to see why people are down on Smith unless A. they don't actually watch Seahawks games, but are just buying into the (not fully accurate) portrayal of how things went with the Jets early in his career, or B. they just don't know football and don't know what good quarterback play looks like.

@HolliWinters28 asks, "Rewatching the defensive touchdown, I noticed Devon Witherspoon flying down the field to block. Which Seahawks is the fastest runner on the team?"

A: Witherspoon was indeed flying to make a key block on Derick Hall's 36-yard fumble return touchdown, and he's one of the faster players on the team, but the fastest? There are a few players who would probably argue they hold that crown.

Cornerback Riq Woolen ran a 4.26 40-yard dash, the fastest of anyone on the team, and that speed shows up in some of the ridiculous plays he can make on the field, and I'd be very hesitant to pick against him in a race with just about anyone in the NFL. Then again, DK Metcalf isn't going to back down from a challenge from anyone, and even tested himself against an elite field of sprinters a few offseasons ago, running a very respectable 10.37 100-meter dash despite outweighing most sprinters by a significant margin.

There's plenty of speed throughout Seattle's roster, including running back Kenneth Walker III, who ran a 4.38-second 40 at the combine, Witherspoon (4.39 at Illinois' pro day) and cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (4.36 at the combine), but my guess is that if everyone was healthy and lined up for a race, it would come down to Metcalf and Woolen.

@bradc42 asks, "The win feels good, like we turned a corner, is it sustainable?"

A: Obviously only time will tell, but you're right that Sunday's win felt like more than just one win. It was how the Seahawks responded to a three-game losing streak by improving in so many areas. They took care of the football, got turnovers, were more balanced on offense, and in the second half, stopped the run. Those are all things that were issues during the losing streak, and nothing about that performance Sunday felt flukey; it seemed pretty sustainable. Again, the Seahawks will have to prove it going forward, but the vibes were very good after Sunday's game, at least in part because players seemed to feel the same thing as you, which is that they may have turned a corner after a rough stretch. That doesn't mean the Seahawks are a finished product, by any means, but things seem to be trending in the right direction.

@PalmerSavedMe asks, "Is there any chance the Seahawks look to add to the interior offensive line or linebacker after adding to the defensive line with the trade for Roy Robertson-Harris? Or do they feel comfortable with the personnel in the building?"

A: This is going to sound like a cop-out answer, but in just about every situation where there's a chance to improve the roster, the Seahawks will at least look at it. General manager and president of football operations John Schneider takes pride in leaving no stone unturned when it comes to improving the roster, so with the trade deadline approaching and some teams making players available, yes, the Seahawks will at least look to see what's out there. Does that mean a trade at any particular position is likely? That's obviously way above my paygrade so I have no idea, but Seattle's history under Schneider suggests they'll at least take a look at what's out there.