Washington Redskins: When man, city, and purpose all meet

“I’ve never won a championship.”

“Never won a Super Bowl.”

“That’s what we’re all chasing.”

Alex Smith must be thinking of the end.

How can it not claw at the mind? The thought of the endless pursuit ceasing to exist. All the work. All the hidden hours. Devolved into a meaningless, empty resolution. How could all of it lead to nothing? The reality hits quickly. With a jolt. Like lightning.

The lights came faster now as Alex Smith walked into a room, eyes watching him, cameras flashing, hands clapping. He casually made his way up the ramp and settled to the right of a polished wooden podium with a black canvas splayed out behind him, donning a navy suit and a navy tie. The colors of dusk.

Doug Williams had just eased up the crowd of reporters a bit. He made Smith’s job, at that moment, a bit easier. Walk up, give the man a firm handshake, flash the frugal, yet confident smile, and face the media. Take a few pictures. All the usual customary measures. But Smith knew his real job in D.C. wouldn’t be so easy. After all, they’d given him four years to do it.

He didn’t mind. Alex Smith exuded confidence entering his introductory press conference with the Washington Redskins. That’s one thing he’s never lacked in his twelve year career. Confidence. Even when Colin Kaepernick took his job in San Francisco, the former No. 1 overall pick was confident he’d get an opportunity elsewhere. And even when the Kansas City Chiefs traded up to draft his immediate successor, Patrick Mahomes, in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Smith knew he wasn’t done yet. He knew he’d get another chance somewhere else. He earned it.

“Somewhere else” became Washington. The nation’s capital. His next opportunity revealed itself a bit sooner than expected, on the night of January 30, 2018. The Washington Redskins, whose contract conversation with Kirk Cousins had officially lost its pulse, knew they needed a succession plan. And with a young, ascending roster nearly ready for a playoff run, they didn’t need just any quarterback. They needed a quarterback who was ready.

That quarterback became Alex Smith. The game manager turned gunslinger. The No. 1 overall pick itching to prove that, yes, he could amass a resume worthy of his draft slot. A resume that rivaled quarterbacks of his era. Quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers. Ben Roethlisberger. Eli Manning. He wanted to go to a place where he was wanted. Where he could win, and keep on the chase. He needed a team that was ready.

He held his smile, standing next to Doug Williams, and the reporters snapped away, flashes of light peppering the canvas behind him, a Washington Redskins helmet fitting comfortably into his hands. After a few seconds, Doug Williams patted him on the shoulder and turned the other way.

It was Smith’s time to speak now.

He adjusted his suit jacket and walked back to the podium, giving his thanks twice before turning to address the men and women with the cameras. He smiled again, took a deep breath, and gave a nod. There was that confidence again.

“Fire away,” he said. As if he had five rings on five fingers.

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Smith clung to the confidence that had buoyed him his entire NFL career. But as he looked around the room, and as he saw the faces of D.C., he had to feel something else. Something different. Fast forward to a fan gathering at which Smith spoke, where eleven-year old fans wore burgundy and gold Alex Smith jerseys before he even had a chance to. Where older fans looked up to him with some kind of hope that only began to hint at the lingering hopelessness they’d felt before his arrival.

You have to wonder if, somewhere along the line, the thought crossed his mind.

What am I supposed to tell these people?

Indeed, what was he supposed to tell them? These people, famished for the fulfilling taste of glory? Alex Smith has never won a Super Bowl. He’s only been to one. He was a backup when it happened. His one Super Bowl appearance in the twentieth century still bests the Washington Redskins as a team by one, but the ring yet eludes the finger.

Worse quarterbacks have won the game he hasn’t. And more proven quarterbacks have won enough to share. Alex Smith is somewhere in the middle. His journey isn’t over, but time is only generous for so long. Recently turned 34 years of age, Smith has to know that the Washington Redskins are his last chance.

While time is a precious asset for Smith, it’s one thing that his new city, Washington D.C., can afford to waste, albeit for a steep price. This city hasn’t been wholly deprived of Super Bowl glory. Ask any older fan of their fondest football memory, and they’ll gladly point you to the Washington Redskins’ seventeen-point streak in the second half of Super Bowl XVII, led by the Diesel, John Riggins, with the Hogs grading the road ahead of him. Or Doug Williams’ blowout of John Elway’s Broncos in Super Bowl XXII. Or Super Bowl XXVI, when the Washington Redskins’ “Capital Punishment” defense made Jim Kelly’s K-Gun, no-huddle offense look closer to “K-Done”.

The Washington Redskins have the history. But an entire generation sits between that illustrious past and the present day. The Washington Redskins haven’t been to the Super Bowl, or even the NFC Championship game, since that Super Bowl championship at the tail end of the 1991 season. 27 years and counting. And every year, that Super Bowl grows more distant.

It is that experience that only makes D.C. hungrier.

The city, the team isn’t going anywhere. But every stagnant year is a step closer to starting over. That’s hardly a way to win in the NFL. Droughts of this magnitude bear heavy weight on a fan base, and perhaps no fan base has suffered over the years more than that of D.C. Too often teased with only subtle hints at contention, D.C. sports fans must be growing tired. The last generation, those who witnessed the Super Bowls of old, will not be here forever. The Washington Redskins hunger for a new Super Bowl era, and they have a fleeting chance to carry on the tradition. With knuckles white from tension, they refuse to let it slip through their grasp.

It is rare in any offseason that we witness the perfect confluence of man, city, and purpose. But that is what we have with the pairing of Alex Smith and the Washington Redskins. Smith has amassed a fine list of achievements, but without a ring to punctuate them, he will be one of many quarterbacks who could, but ultimately didn’t. There is a certain notoriety in the possession of that ring, and a subliminal, but lasting blow to legacy without it. Smith wants this ring. He needs this ring. And he needs Washington to get it.

Likewise, the Washington Redskins are gearing up to compete. As it stands, they possess the perfect mix of veteran talent and young, ascending star power. And after a strong offseason, their roster is in exceptional shape. Even in a strong NFC East, the team can compete this year, and they can shock the nation. They have a window. The unpredictability of the present day mirrors that of the inclemency that was prevalent in the first Joe Gibbs era. It’s an unpredictability that the Washington Redskins can take advantage of. Anyone can win, any year.

Nevertheless, the writing is on the wall. If the Washington Redskins fail to meet expectations this year, then Jay Gruden, the most competent Washington Redskins’ coach in the last two decades, could very well be gone, and the team could very well be forced to start from square one again. With veterans like Trent Williams, Josh Norman, and Ryan Kerrigan aging, starting over comes at the cost of precious time; Time which cannot be redeemed.

Entering the offseason, the Washington Redskins had continuity. And they had the talent. They just needed a quarterback. But not any quarterback; A quarterback to take them to the playoffs they’ve hardly seen. The Washington Redskins needed Alex Smith.

If nothing else, the Washington Redskins have this on their side; Their quarterback, their city, and their purpose are all in unity, in one purpose. Alex Smith needs the Washington Redskins to cement his legacy while he still has time. And the Washington Redskins, starved of past success, need Alex Smith to maximize this window while it’s still here.

Alex Smith needs a Super Bowl. And the Washington Redskins hunger for it.

Perhaps, this crossed Smith’s mind as he stood up at the podium. As he looked around, and as he saw that hunger, perhaps he felt that unity. That this city would be behind him. Because they need him. And they know he needs them as well.

And perhaps, Smith found the answer to his question.

What am I supposed to tell these people?

As if on cue, another question is directed at Smith.

“After thirteen years in the league, what keeps you excited, and fired up about September?”

Smith met the inquiry with a quick shrug, never being one to make a moment bigger than it is. But the question struck him. It took him a moment to find his words. You can tell he’s been thinking about it.

“I’ve never won a championship.”

A brief pause.

“Never won a Super Bowl.”

“That’s what we’re all chasing.”

And in that moment, Smith told Washington D.C. what it needed to hear. In that moment, Smith proved that they were chasing the same thing. One, for its honor. Another, for his legacy. And to be remembered. From Alex Smith, it was a way of saying, to a franchise starved of relevance, and to a city confused by decades of false hopes and disappointments…

Next: Alex Smith ushers in new era at Redskins park

“I’m hungry, too.”

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