Help, I Might Be Rooting For The Washington Football Team

As the 49ers prepare to take on the Washington Football team this Sunday at "home" in Glendale, AZ, I'm finding my thoughts drifting to Washington starting quarterback Alex Smith. I should be thinking about San Francisco. I should be calculating their probabilities of a playoff berth. I should be pondering whether posting up in Glendale for a month or more could actually help their focus, eliminate distractions. I should thinking about Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel and Raheem Mostert and what happens when they link up with a healthy Jimmy Garrappolo in a Week 17 victory over Seahawks. A 48-0 win to end the regular season as the best 9-7 team in football, followed by an incredible playoff run that culminates in a Super Bowl re-match with the Chiefs... sorry I'm drifting again. Back to today and the realities of being 5-7. 

It's easy to drift in 2020. Time has no meaning. Football games are played on Tuesday afternoons at 2. Players test positive. Players test negative. Tom Brady plays in Florida. And most improbably, Smith, the former 49er selected by the team in the first round of the 2005 draft, returns as Washington's starter just over two years since suffering a spiral and compound fracture to his tibia and fibula when he was sacked in a game against the Houston Texans. What followed was a life-threatening bout with sepsis and 17 surgeries. Smith missed the entire 2019 season, but returned in Week 5 this season in a 30-10 loss to the LA Rams following an ankle injury to starter Kyle Allen. Smith's starts since his return—he's completed 68.7% of his passes on 1,363 passing yards with 4 TD's/5 int's—don't tell the whole story. It would be impossible for stats to fully tell his incredible story. Beyond the numbers, Smith has not only survived a life-threatening injury, he's returned to his team as the starter, moving past both Allen and former first round pick Dwayne Haskins. The Wahington Football team (please settle on a name already) are 3-1 with Smith under center and are still in the hunt for a playoff spot in the NFC East. They are arriving in the Arizona desert hot off a victory over the previously-undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers. 

I remember Smith's days with the 49ers and the early years with Mike Nolan. Smith battled through injuries, and there were not a lot of wins. I remember their victory over New Orleans in the NFC playoff game where Smith hit Vernon Davis for the game-winning touchdown with nine seconds on the clock. I remember Smith losing his starting position to Colin Kaepernick, but stepping up to serve as a mentor to the young quarterback. I remember when he went to Kansas City after becoming a free agent, found some success, and then world (and the Chiefs) discovered Patrick Mahomes. I remember eating a burger with Andy Reid, Mahomes and Smtih on the 50 yard line in KC and they all taught me how to throw a spiral. Wait, I'm drifting again! Sorry. 

Perhaps it's not accurate to say I'm rooting for the Washington Football Team. But I am rooting for Smith. And I'm rooting for Ron Rivera. Washington's 58-year-old coach concluded seven weeks of chemotherapy and proton radiation treatment in October, a tough battle even when you don't have a demanding job like coaching a pro football team. Smith and Rivera have had to face life-threatening adversity in a year already marked with so much struggle, but they've overcome these challenges and can focus on keeping their season alive. It's inspiring even if you're rooting for their opponent.  

Will Alex Smith end his career in the Hall of Fame? He's started 165 games. He's thrown for over 35,000 yards and nearly 200 touchdowns. But he's also thrown 106 picks. He's never won a Super Bowl. Some consider him simply a game manager. Wait, I'm drifting yet again. After what Smith has accomplished this season, it doesn't matter if he makes it into the Hall of Fame. To play 15 years in the NFL, to survive nearly having your leg amputated and then make an NFL roster, rise again to starter and win, lands Smith in another place in football lore: legend. Legendary story. Legendary teammate. Legendary toughness. And of course, this season isn't over, and after all he's overcome, can you really doubt that Smith won't be on an NFL roster next season? I'll keep rooting for him.