Alex Smith’s ability to return to football activities after a horrific leg injury in 2018 threatened to end his career is a true display of perseverance. And while Smith has already achieved more than what was thought possible, there is still more work to be done if the veteran quarterback wants to take a game in game action.
One of the biggest obstacles still left is Smith’s re-introduction of the physical nature of the game. The real test for his leg will be how it responds to a hit from a defender coming at him at full speed, something he has not felt since the fateful day two seasons ago. It’s a moment that Smith admits he can not stop thinking about.
‘Yes. “I thought about it more than I could possibly say,” Smith told a news conference on Wednesday. Sure, that’s been this whole process in the back of my mind, and that’s what I think through other things I have to go through, it’s a progression. “
Unlike his footwork, mobility and accuracy of arm, taking a hit is not something that can be simulated. The only way to know how it will feel, and how its body will react, is to make it happen.
“It’s not just black and white. I need to get out and get hit,” Smith said. “I need to get down and do it and know that apparently my leg is strong enough to take it.”
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The impressive moment of influence has also been on the mind of Washington Football head coach Ron Rivera. From the moment Smith’s comeback became plausible, Rivera has insisted he cannot send the quarterback into a game unless he has proven he can protect himself and avoid the risk of another injury.
In conversations between the two, Rivera made it clear that Smith’s safety is his top priority, even though he wants to see him succeed on the field as much as anyone.
“The biggest thing that happened in the conversation was, and Alex and I talked and I said, ‘Alex, you need to be able to protect yourself,'” Rivera said. ‘You need to be able to show us that you can protect yourself. ‘”
“You never want to endanger a player, and that’s really more what I’m concerned about is that I do not put him at risk based on my judgment,” Rivera said. “I just want to make sure that at the end of the day, based on what I’ve seen, based on what I’ve heard, we can sit there and make the right decision whether we’ll play him or not.”
To help him with that, Rivera plans to gradually clean up Smith’s work in the training camp. Starting with 7-on-7 drills, he hopes to introduce the Quarterback soon for 9-on-7 and 9-on-9 drills.
From there, the real test will put Smith in an 11-on-11 setting. It is in that environment, a close simulation for game action, that Rivera believes Smith’s natural instincts will dictate how much he’s advanced.
“Once we put him at 11-on-11, it’s again, now you have to kick your natural ability into the game. Your experience, your sense and sense of what’s going to happen in the game must come into play,” Rivera said. . “That’s kind of where we hope to go ahead to finally see and see if he’s still capable of doing it.”
From now on, Rivera is confident that Smith will get some work against defensive work. But like every step of the journey, decisions will be made on a day-to-day basis with the best interests of the quarterback in mind.
‘I believe that, but I will not put a timeline on it. This has been a job and we are not trying to rush anyone through, that’s why there is no timeline for that, “Rivera said. We want to make sure he goes in there at the end of the day and if he has to play he can protect himself. ”
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For Smith, he knows the first hit is coming. About two years away from the latter, once completely unearthed one of the last unknowns became on his journey back to football.
Though the thought of it may get nervous, Smith can not allow it to slow him down. He has made it this far, and he does not intend to change how he encompasses the whole challenges that have thrown his way.
“Certainly from a decision point of view in life, I intend that fear cannot determine my decision making,” Smith said. “No doubt that there is, for me, of course I choose to pass.”
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