Washington Football Team Week 17 Reality Checks vs. Eagles
By Tim Payne
4. The Reality Is, Alex Smith is the Ultimate Intangible.
It’s nearly impossible to explain how much Alex Smith means to this football team. His example provides a stability and calmness to the entire organization. His demeanor and approach gave the team a clear contrast against which to compare Dwayne Haskins. His experience and professionalism put them in place to run their offense effectively, allowing players like Terry McLaurin, Logan Thomas, Antonio Gibson, and Cam Sims to develop in this essential year of roster evaluation and development.
Without Smith, the offense has looked terrible. It’s not because of his tangible skills. It’s because he is the ultimate intangible. The guy every coach wants his players to be to maximize their talent level. A loss could very well be Alex Smith’s last game with the Washington Football Team. Win or lose, let’s hope he’s rubbed off on the entire roster and organization. If he’s too hurt to play, let’s hope they can work out a way to benefit from his intangibles even if he’s not on the field.
My Prediction: Smith plays, but ends up having to give way to Heinicke when his calf doesn’t cooperate. But just his very act of fighting through and playing puts the entire team into the proper mindset.