Alex Smith, a quarterback for the Washington Football Team, said his return had thrown a “wrench” into the team’s plans and that he did not feel wanted by the organization last summer.
The NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year, Smith told GQ Magazine that he surprised the organization by being able to play.
“They didn’t see it, they didn’t want me there, I didn’t want to be a part of it, I didn’t want to be on the team, the roster, they didn’t want to give me a chance,” Smith told the magazine. “Mind, it was a whole new regime, they came in; I’m like being left out and I’m sad and I’m responsible for this.
“Heck no, they didn’t want me there. At the time, you can imagine, I can’t care less about everything I’m doing. Whether you like it or not, I give up. At this point Go this. “
Smith’s words call into question his desire to remain in his organization and how much frustration he still endures. Washington is open to retaining Smith and making more offenses, but the team is also exploring other options in the quarterbacks because of the question of whether Smith can stay healthy for the entire season.
Smith has hit a 24.4 million cap and Washington will save 13 13.8 million if he is released.
“We’re still in a position where we’re looking at all our options,” coach Ron Rivera said earlier this month.
Smith has not specifically said he will return, but sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that he wants to continue playing. And Smith’s own words in multiple interviews strongly suggest that is the case. He and Rivera had multiple conversations this month, although neither has said much about them.
“I’m left with more,” Smith said in a GQ interview. “I got even more to go there. So I really want to get into the flesh of this se fission and I’m seeing where I am and pushing it. I want to push my body harder. I want to push my legs harder. I want to. I push her hard, she responds. At some point, I’ll obviously sit down with my wife and have a very real conversation, and do we want to do this? She deserves a ton of input. We’ll see. “
The team declined to comment on Smith’s comments.
At training camp, Rivera said he was going through what doctors said about Smith’s recovery. Washington Washington, which thinks it is going to be a rebuilding year, and in Smith’s condition, the 35-year-old quarterback, coming from a broken right tibia and fibula, could not keep up in an attempt to plan for the future. Rivera has inherited a -13-1 team and wants to see if second-year quarterback Dwayne Hanskins can develop into a long-term starter.
Washington wanted to put Smith on the injured reserve before the final cut, which could end his season. That week, Smith and Riviera had a lengthy visit and then the next day Smith met with Riviera and abusive coordinator Scott Turner to reassure them that they should be on the roster.
The suspicions were widespread. Smith admitted that there was a “very small group” of people who thought he could do this. Several sources at the organization said after watching his documentary on ESPN that they did not think the doctor would clear it for contact.
Smith opened the camp on being physically unable to list, although his personal doctors allowed him to return. One of them is Dr. Rob Cutter, Robin West, and Washington serves the head of the disabled in Washington.
Gradually his mind changed. Smith remained on Pupp’s list until Aug. 16, as the coach was showing he was no longer injured and needed to test himself on the field. However, there were sources close to him at the time who also wondered at what level Smith would be able to play. His injury left him with a drop fit, causing him to pull his leg at the time. Her cleats also needed special orthotics.
Washington forced him to gradually get more into practice, but did not put him in 11-on-11 full-time workouts until the end of training camp – after he pressed the coach to give him a chance.
“I felt like I still didn’t have my fair share of shakes at the time,” Smith told GQ. “I wanted to see if I could play quarterbacks and play football, and I don’t think I had a chance to find that opportunity yet. It’s like going near the finish line of a marathon and they’re telling you .That you can’t finish the race. This is it, f — that’s it. I’m finishing this thing. At least I see if I can do it. So, I’m thankful that we did it all. Worked through the material but no, it wasn’t like open arms coming back after two years. “
Smith was the No. 3 quarterback in the first four games, but reached No. 2 when Riviera benched Dwayne Hawkins. After enduring Kyle Allen’s argument against the Los Angeles Rams, Smith returned to the field and was fired six times. Allen suffered a season-two leg-injury after three weeks against the New York Giants, forcing Smith to start the lineup against the Detroit Lions next week.
Washington led 5-1 in the games that Smith started. His stats were modest – he threw five touchdowns in five touchdowns as a starter. Overall it was six and eight, respectively. But the impact was felt by a young team in need of guidance on the field. NFL Smith was chosen as the comeback player of the year by a close consensus.
Smith suffered a bruise on December 13 and played just one more game, a division-title win over Philadelphia at the end of the regular-season. He lobbied hard to play in the wild-card playoff game against Tampa Bay, but Riviera chose Taylor Hinick, fearing that Smith’s lack of mobility in the surviving leg issue would also cause problems against the defense of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Whatever the coaches felt about Smith in August Gust, his ideas evolved as the season progressed.
“When you see what Alex is going through and his desire to come back and drive and the joy and thrill he gets from playing, it’s been very inspiring for me to see him,” Rivera said in December.
He also praised Smith’s leadership.
“There’s an abstraction that some people have and have,” Rivera said. “Alex has. Can he be replaced? Well, you’ll find someone who has the same kind of intible gibbons. Those people are special. They just come around every time.”
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