Being a contact sport, injuries are to be expected. In the NFL, many players have had their share of mishaps, something that can tilt their playing careers. With regards to Alex Smith, it all depends how he recuperates from a gruesome injury he suffered when the Washington Redskins faced the Houston Texans.
Prior to the incident, Smith had been doing great for the Redskins. He is one of the main cogs for the Redskins, leading the team to a 6-3 record. He was entering the game with 2,045 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions - numbers that may be missed unless someone steps up in his place.
The incident happened midway through the third quarter when Smith was sacked by Kareem Jackson of the Texans. Smith ended up with a fractured tibia and fibula with his ankle awkwardly bending in the wrong direction, ESPN said. Colt McCoy, the lone quarterback available took his place and made a good account for himself. Trailing 17-7, he led a comeback effort that unfortunately fell only two points short.
After the game, coach Jay Gruden revealed that Smith would require surgery, confirming that the 34-year-old will be out for the remainder of the season. Teammates and Houston players showed their support for Smith, all hoping for the best.
Smith landed in Washington after the Redskins traded a third-round pick and cornerback Kendal Fuller to the Kansas City Chiefs. The three-time Pro Bowler also played for the San Francisco 49ers from 2005-2012.
Now, the Redskins need to fill up the void left by Smith. McCoy may have shown promise but the fact remains that they need additional players to back up the 32-year-old quarterback. It remains to be seen as well if he will be the new starting quarterback for Washington.
According to the Washington Post, the Redskins plan to work out Mark Sanchez, T.J. Yates, and E. J. Manuel to hopefully fill in the void. Being a quarterback vacancy, the name of Colin Kaepernick has also been suggested.
But as far as coach Gruden is concerned, it will be less of a workout and more on how the candidate can blend in.
“Maybe more . . . familiarity with either [offensive coordinator Matt] Cavanaugh or [passing game coordinator Kevin] O’Connell, maybe. We’ll see. We’ll take a look at the names, all talk about them and go from there.”
At his age, it remains to be seen as well if Smith can still return to NFL action. His injury has been likened to Joe Theismann back in 1985, ironically with the same final score (23-21) except that Washington won at the time.
