Washington Redskins 2018 season quarterback grades
By Ian Cummings
Alex Smith
If 2018 was the last time we’ll see Alex Smith on the field, then the veteran quarterback deserved a better send-off.
When players sat by their lockers, after the Redskins season-ending defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, the questions revolved around the collapse. They had once been 6-3. Knocking on the door of the NFC playoffs. What happened? Where did it all go so wrong?
They all pointed to December 18th. Houston. When Alex Smith was lost. One player, when granted anonymity, said this:
“Everything fell apart when Alex went down.”
From a front office perspective, Smith’s injury was the unmasking of a fraudulent playoff team, and the unraveling of a winning philosophy that was unsustainable, in the face of high-octane offenses such as the Chiefs and the Rams. It sped the exposure of a team that was not quite built to win in the modern NFL.
But from a player perspective, Smith’s injury destroyed the winning philosophy that they’d all grown to believe in. Smith, the glue of the locker room and the team itself, was lost, and so too was the team’s season. In a sport as complicated as football, somehow, it’s as simple as that.
Smith had his drawbacks in 2018. He didn’t push the ball down the field as often as some would like. His offense rarely piled on points; he finished the year with ten touchdowns in ten games. But Smith, as a player and a leader combined, was the only reason the Redskins were ever competitive in 2018 at all. His time-of-possession dominant style gave the defense valuable rest, and it allowed the Redskins offense to hold serve against lesser teams.
For a fan base losing faith, in desperate need of a jolt – something, anything – Smith was a godsend. For a team in need of a leader to follow, to give them something to play for… Smith was a godsend. While his play didn’t always inspire with dazzling offensive explosions, he always gave the Redskins a chance.
Alex Smith’s 2018 Grade: B+
Next. Redskins top five options in the first round of the NFL Draft. dark
Now, Smith’s football future is in doubt after complications from the surgery done to repair his compound fracture suffered against the Texans. And the players, and the fans, need something else to believe in. That Smith might come back from a career-threatening injury, and lead his team to a win again.
They’ll be waiting.