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The words escaped Alex Smith's lips as he was lying on the cold FedEx Field looking at the sky. While he was rubbing the palm of his hand against his face again and again, he screamed in pain, signaling the true gravity of his injured right leg.
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = ""It's broken!""data-reactid =" 17 ">"It's broken!"
Long before the Washington Redskins' quarterback received the official diagnosis and rushed to a local hospital for emergency surgery on his broken fibula and tibia, Smith knew the truth was sobering: his season was over. And while he was taken with his awkwardly stabilized ankle in a molded air Sunday afternoon, the weight of his injury became obvious.
An underlying cruelty, almost inconceivable, hovers over Smith's career, a recurring theme of misfortune that appears when one expects the least. When everything finally seems to go for him, when he finally seems to be settled in a groove, when his team seems to be about to make a breakthrough, the floor falls under Smith's feet and he still has to pick it up . broken pieces.
Alex Smith knew immediately after the impact that his leg injury was serious after taking a shot against the Texans. (Getty Images)
The same goes for the Redskins, who must find a new direction in just six weeks in a season that seemed so promising a few days ago. The advance that they had twice in the east of the NFC was reduced to one. And the quarterback who guided them to six wins in their first nine matches left indefinitely.
This is now Colt McCoy's team, with a division title in play and a huge fight against the Cowboys (5-5) in Arlington, Texas, during Thanksgiving.
Thirty-three years after the great Redskins player Joe Theismann was seriously injured in the leg by legendary giant Lawrence Taylor, Smith suffered his own end-of-season and career blow. As he tried to escape the incessant pressure of the Houston Texans defense on Sunday afternoon, his right leg was stuck in the grass when he was injured in the third quarter. The sight of Smith writhing in pain – and the position of his awkwardly inclined ankle – spoke volumes.
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = ""Alex's leg is exactly mine 33 years ago" Theismann would have tweeted in the comfort of a FedEx Field suite because he was inundated with flashbacks. "Data-reactid =" 43 ">"Alex's leg is exactly mine 33 years ago" Theismann reportedly tweeted in the comfort of a FedEx Field suite, while he was inundated with flashbacks.
After all that Smith had endured in his playing career, he arrived in Ashburn, Virginia, eager to change the story of his own story and write a new chapter at the age of 34. He had been rejected twice by former teams, set aside for the youngest. quarters with much less experience, but greater potential. But this time, in Washington, Smith was elected.
After years of resentment about the situation, the San Francisco 49ers lost their original job to the benefit of Colin Kaepernick, a promising young man, due to a concussion, and wished that He has more time in his place at the head of Kansas. The offensive of the city chiefs – before management inaugurates the era of Patrick Mahomes – Smith finally became the man again.
The former number 1 general no longer had to worry about proving his quality, he had no reason to worry about the commercial side of football. The $ 94 million contract he signed in March for four years – with a guarantee of $ 71 million – showed how much Washington was looking for him.
Years of insecurity and self-doubt have been replaced by inner peace.
"I can not believe it," Theismann told the Washington Post after the Redskins' 23-21 loss to the Texans. Coincidentally, it was the final score of 1985 when Theismann was injured, with the exception of his Redskins who managed to win the victory behind Jay Schroeder's reinforcement. "November 18 is a horrible day for the Redskins quarterbacks."
Colt McCoy's job: To keep the Redskins' lead on the NFC East with six games to play. (Getty Images)
Now, McCoy and a host of potential shift truckers – make your choice among Mark Sanchez, Kellen Clemens, Yates T. and EJ Manuel – are to lead the team.
That was not the way this season was supposed to end for Smith, a man who is just as popular in football circles as in the communities of Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Kansas City and the United States. Washington, DC He is respected for his keen football acumen, but he is revered for his good character, humility and philanthropy. A few weeks after their low season training sessions, Redskins players began to understand why so many people in the league respect Smith, as a player, but even more so as a man.
Although injured this season, the Redskins still remain in first place in a weak division of the NFC East. And at times when the Smith-led attack was struggling to score, the Washington defense often saved the day with a stoppage, an interception at the end of the game or a very useful bag to turn around. The Redskins (6-4) – led by a long backup, McCoy – are far from over. But while Washington loses its star quarterback for the season, and maybe even longer, we wonder what Smith might have lost more while he was lying on the cold field of FedEx Field, watching the sky.
Theismann was 35 when Taylor's vicious blow caused a complex fracture that left Theismann's leg bone out of his skin. The following year, the Super Bowl champion retired.
At 34, one has to wonder where this injury leaves Smith.
The Redskins have no choice but to move on and hope that McCoy will have enough presence to stabilize in the downturn to maintain his hopes in the playoffs. But only time will tell when Smith will return to the field, if at all. Although his injury is not as bad as Theismann's, Smith is facing an arduous recovery process, in which he must relearn how to trust his foot well before he can focus on the retreat.
Another obstacle to overcome in the quest to change the story of his story and write a new triumphant chapter.
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