Redskins Ingredients for Improvement: Clean slate needed in Week 3
By Ian Cummings
No. 1 – Redskins QB Alex Smith needs to change when the game demands it
The never-ending debate surrounding the legitimacy of oft-criticized quarterback Alex Smith seemingly ended last year, when the seasoned veteran embarked on an MVP-caliber campaign with the Kansas City Chiefs, notching over 4,000 yards, 26 touchdowns, and just five interceptions.
Once known merely as a game manager, Smith violently pushed away from the notion with Patrick Mahomes on his heels. He added a vertical element to his game, and as a result, Smith was one of the league’s best deep passers last season.
Utter that statistic today, and you might be called crazy.
Smith played well in the season debut, largely due to the fact that the running game remained consistent, and the Cardinals’ weaknesses played to his strengths. But when shouldered with an increased workload, we saw that, against the Colts, he squandered opportunity, and didn’t do nearly enough when the team needed a spark through the air. Granted, options were not always available down the field. But in the NFL, chances have to be taken from time to time. Smith didn’t take them, and thus, the Redskins never entered a position to mount a comeback.
The question was one of the fiercest of the offseason: Which Alex Smith will Washington get? So far in 2018, in two games, the Redskins have gotten both. The savvy, all-knowing field general, and the complacent, complicit game manager. The Redskins need one of these personas to pervade through the next fourteen games. I think you can guess which one it is.
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Alex Smith is a workmanlike passer who plays a winning brand of football, in a vacuum. But despite this, Smith must change when the game demands it. Otherwise, his new team might grow tired of him, just as his previous two teams did in due time.