ESPN.com: Washington QB Alex Smith cleared by his surgical team for full football activity

[PartyPosse]

38 minutes ago, ggarriso said:

How anyone can be remotely critical of Alex right now is beyond me.  The man is literally the greatest comeback story in the history of sports - and pre AND post injury is the ONLY QB we have on the roster that has continually won with this organization.  The win rate statistics are undeniable and jarring.  Unlike some of the pure trash potatoes we have had in this org and at that position, he is pure class.

 

Anyone who would question his drive and desire is quite frankly out of their mind.  Now at some point will it be time for him to hang it up if that leg just wont cooperate long term?  Sure, but for a man that nearly died to a football injury and is willing to come out there and make a run for THIS organization.. yeah i got a long leash.

 

Hope he actually joins the org in some capacity after retirement - which is hopefully after a year tutoring our new QB

I wasn't criticizing him, or maybe I was, but I said it's gonna come off ****ty on my part. Kudos to him for everything he's gone through, but while that's a great story, if he's not trustworthy in terms of counting on him to play then he's done his part in inspiring the troops. I also don't think anyone is questioning his desire or drive. If anything, that makes this reality even more jarring. You know he's doing everything he can to get himself out there and a calf strain had now taken him out of almost 4 games (if he doesn't play Sunday). I for one would love to see him play and be healthy but it's very clear that's not happening again.

[ggarriso]

3 minutes ago, PartyPosse said:

I wasn't criticizing him, or maybe I was, but I said it's gonna come off ****ty on my part. Kudos to him for everything he's gone through, but while that's a great story, if he's not trustworthy in terms of counting on him to play then he's done his part in inspiring the troops. I also don't think anyone is questioning his desire or drive. If anything, that makes this reality even more jarring. You know he's doing everything he can to get himself out there and a calf strain had now taken him out of almost 4 games (if he doesn't play Sunday). I for one would love to see him play and be healthy but it's very clear that's not happening again.

 

I cant imagine a world where he is a 16 game a year QB with everything that happened, but damn if I dont want the fairy tale ending to the movie

 

19 minutes ago, TheShredder said:

Uh, No!

Why?  Why would he?  There's no position in the organization that's going to pay him enough to make that worth it.  He's not a mentor.  He's a veteran NFL QB.  Just because Mahomes benefited from watching him prepare, practice, and play doesn't make him some guru mentor.  Haskins was around him longer than Mahomes.  When Smith retires, he's the type of quiet multi-millionaire family man you will never see again until one of his sons is in college balling out. 

 

 

Yeah prob what will happen - I just find him to be such an inspiration and really a high character winner that I want guys like that around the building.  But your scenario is much more likely

 

[TheShredder]

3 minutes ago, ggarriso said:

I just find him to be such an inspiration and really a high character winner that I want guys like that around the building. 

That is exactly who Alex Smith is.  It's very likely he's going to play. 

I've seen the clips of the drills he did yesterday and the PT is testing and loading passing movements.  When he comes in 24 hrs later they'll check his progress.  He likely only needs limited reps to play.  I hope he plays and has healed enough for him to not think about it (like in his last appearance).

[NoCalMike]

With everything on the line and the game meaning so much, a chance at the postseason?  Alex Smith will play unless he is still so hurt that it is impossible for him to be effective.  We saw in that 49ers game that he went into the game with the calf injury.  It was very apparent on his first throw that he makes routinely, the way he underthrew it because he couldn't plant and put pressure on that calf.

 

I know Heinike put together a few good looking drives, and yes it is good to know that there is another competent QB on the roster, but there is also a reason Alex Smith is the starting QB.  Right now this team just doesn't have the horses to pull away from teams.  In fact they spend most games playing catch up.  Alex Smith's style might not capture the imagine of fantasy football owners, but it has led him to a winning record as a WFT QB and shown steadiness and consistency that goes a long way, especially when you are playing against teams that aren't very good, but mistakes keep them in the game and give them hope (see last week against Carolina).  If Alex can't play Sunday, I am good with Heinike playing, but I also refuse to allow myself to be duped into assuming he is something he hasn't yet proven he is either. 

With Alex Smith, we know he isn't the greatest, but we know what he is, and that has been good enough to help turn the season around and for 2020 it is probably the best it is going to get.  Maybe Heinike is a Probowler in waiting that just needed the opportunity after injury troubles early in his career made him a forgotten man?  Are we confident that this Sunday, with everything on the line is the game to find out?

[zCommander]

5 hours ago, Califan007 said:

 

Maybe it will go like this:

 

Heineken starts, wins against Eagles, then wins in the wildcard round. Looks mediocre at best in the divisional round but the defense destroys whoever we play. TH still looks mediocre in the NFC Championship game and gets replaced at halftime by a now-fully healthy Smiff...who leads the team to a win by being his normal Smiff self. Rivera gambles and starts Smiff in the Super Bowl, who throws for 650 yards and 11 TDs in the first half, and Heineken finished up in the 2nd half. We bring Smiff back on to do the kneel down at the end. Smiff retires and Heineken remains on the roster next year, looking much improved.

 

Matthew McCoughnahey plays Smiff in the movie. Awards are won.

 

You left out: Smiff beats the team in the SB that traded him. 

 

[Malapropismic Depository]

I'll tell ya which QB plays Sunday.

The one that gives us the best chance to win : Whether it's a hobbled Smith, or a Supercharged Heineke.

Whichever one can be more effective, after evaluating them both through Saturday.

It's that simple.

And they're both good options, and it's a good problem to have, so it's a Win-Win situation. But hopefully it ends up as Win-Win-Win.

[wit33]

What a terrible spot to be in... damn injuries. If Alex is compromised in any way I lean towards rolling the dice with short game, one two read plays for Hein and him running for some first downs. Hope the defense can turn the Eagles over and the run game dominates. 

[Malapropismic Depository]

 

So our Top 2 quarterbacks are known to be injury prone.

We may need a 3rd option. So I hope Montez gets some good reps in practice.

 

[CapsSkins]

2 hours ago, NoCalMike said:

With everything on the line and the game meaning so much, a chance at the postseason?  Alex Smith will play unless he is still so hurt that it is impossible for him to be effective.  We saw in that 49ers game that he went into the game with the calf injury.  It was very apparent on his first throw that he makes routinely, the way he underthrew it because he couldn't plant and put pressure on that calf.

 

I know Heinike put together a few good looking drives, and yes it is good to know that there is another competent QB on the roster, but there is also a reason Alex Smith is the starting QB.  Right now this team just doesn't have the horses to pull away from teams.  In fact they spend most games playing catch up.  Alex Smith's style might not capture the imagine of fantasy football owners, but it has led him to a winning record as a WFT QB and shown steadiness and consistency that goes a long way, especially when you are playing against teams that aren't very good, but mistakes keep them in the game and give them hope (see last week against Carolina).  If Alex can't play Sunday, I am good with Heinike playing, but I also refuse to allow myself to be duped into assuming he is something he hasn't yet proven he is either. 

With Alex Smith, we know he isn't the greatest, but we know what he is, and that has been good enough to help turn the season around and for 2020 it is probably the best it is going to get.  Maybe Heinike is a Probowler in waiting that just needed the opportunity after injury troubles early in his career made him a forgotten man?  Are we confident that this Sunday, with everything on the line is the game to find out?

 

I think Alex gives you the higher floor but Heinicke gives you the higher ceiling. The tough part is judging which QB is more likely to deliver a floor or ceiling type of performance.

[PartyPosse]

I don’t know how anyone can assume Heinie has a higher ceiling. We saw 3 drives against a team that didn’t prepare for him. 

[CapsSkins]

Just now, PartyPosse said:

I don’t know how anyone can assume Heinie has a higher ceiling. We saw 3 drives against a team that didn’t prepare for him. 

 

Mainly because he's far more mobile which is just an objective fact.

[wit33]

6 hours ago, TheShredder said:

Uh, No!

Why?  Why would he?  There's no position in the organization that's going to pay him enough to make that worth it.  He's not a mentor.  He's a veteran NFL QB.  Just because Mahomes benefited from watching him prepare, practice, and play doesn't make him some guru mentor.  Haskins was around him longer than Mahomes.

 

Shaky logic. It’s up to the individual to maximize the opportunity to learn. Some will choose to discount the value of Mahomes learning from Smith, probably dependent on that individuals own personal experiences with mentors or learning from others. 

 

2 hours ago, CapsSkins said:

 

I think Alex gives you the higher floor but Heinicke gives you the higher ceiling. The tough part is judging which QB is more likely to deliver a floor or ceiling type of performance.

The other variable is not knowing what will be required of the QB to win the game. Either way you’d have to imagine Washington will need a big game from the defense. 

[NoCalMike]

Was it 2005 when Todd Collins stepped in for an old brittle over the hill Brunell and everyone was excited because it seemed like Todd Collins played a bit faster and more urgency, and it was exciting for a little bit, then reality set in as to why he was not a starting caliber QB in the NFL.

 

I am not saying the situations or QB's themselves are comparable, I am just saying that it is very easy to get seduced by the play of an "unknown" and assume that is what they will play like on a bigger stage, but it isn't always the case.

 

I don't see the Eagles as this high powered scoring juggernaut of a team where we require a gunslinger to throw the ball all over the place and put 35 points on the scoreboard.  Would it be nice to just crush this team? Of course, but I would just as well settle for a 20-6 drubbing by our defense and have a QB we can trust in this situation not to make mistakes.  I know the temptation is there to want the guy who was tossing the ball all over the place to start, I am just saying we need to slow down with the expectations on this guy for the time being.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

2 hours ago, NoCalMike said:

Was it 2005 when Todd Collins stepped in for an old brittle over the hill Brunell and everyone was excited because it seemed like Todd Collins played a bit faster and more urgency, and it was exciting for a little bit, then reality set in as to why he was not a starting caliber QB in the NFL.

 

I am not saying the situations or QB's themselves are comparable, I am just saying that it is very easy to get seduced by the play of an "unknown" and assume that is what they will play like on a bigger stage, but it isn't always the case.

 

I don't see the Eagles as this high powered scoring juggernaut of a team where we require a gunslinger to throw the ball all over the place and put 35 points on the scoreboard.  Would it be nice to just crush this team? Of course, but I would just as well settle for a 20-6 drubbing by our defense and have a QB we can trust in this situation not to make mistakes.  I know the temptation is there to want the guy who was tossing the ball all over the place to start, I am just saying we need to slow down with the expectations on this guy for the time being.

 

 

Collins came in for Campbell not Brunell...

 

And he did play very well for the 4 regular season games he played in. Even in that insanely windy game against the Giants he did enough to help secure the win,

 

In the playoffs, he started sloooow...but did throw two TDs in the 4th quarter to put the Skins ahead 14-13. Then we recovered the kickoff immediately after taking the lead, and recovered it inside Seattle's red zone. So we were looking at going up 21-13 but either Collins or Cooley screwed up on a TD pass, so had to settle for a FG...which we missed lol. We got the ball on like Seattle's 12 yard line and came away with zero points. After that the wheels fell off the entire team.

 

I'd have NO problem with Heineken playing in the last game of the season the way Collins played in the last game of the 2007 season.

[DJHJR86]

7 hours ago, NoCalMike said:

Was it 2005 when Todd Collins stepped in for an old brittle over the hill Brunell and everyone was excited because it seemed like Todd Collins played a bit faster and more urgency, and it was exciting for a little bit, then reality set in as to why he was not a starting caliber QB in the NFL.

 

That was in 2007 when Collins came in for relief of Jason Campbell and played light years better than Campbell ever did.  That was when reality set in as to why Campbell was never going to work out for this team.  Gibbs intended on having a QB competition going into 2008 but then retired and in came Zorn and any chance of Collins ever starting again.  

[TradeTheBeal!]

IRRATIONAL OPTIMISM!

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

[zCommander]

Nice to see Alex out there.

 

[NewCliche21]

4 hours ago, DJHJR86 said:

 

That was in 2007 when Collins came in for relief of Jason Campbell and played light years better than Campbell ever did.  That was when reality set in as to why Campbell was never going to work out for this team.  Gibbs intended on having a QB competition going into 2008 but then retired and in came Zorn and any chance of Collins ever starting again.  

 

Collins also had a LOT more familiarity with Al Saunders's 600-page playbook.  Not to take away from Collins's performance at all.  It still burns me that Gibbs brought Saunders on in 2006 after how things were clicking so well in the back half of 2005.

 

Obviously the comparison can't be drawn with our current quarterbacks except that Heinicke has experience with Turner's style while Smith and possibly Allen are justifiably QB1 and QB2.

 

_______________

 

Agreed that it's great to see Smith out there, but Harmon being on the side is just great to hear.  I felt so awful when he blew his knee out as he could've taken a big step forward this year.

[CobraCommander]

I just hope there is a shorter leash than last week. Rivera waited too long to pull Dwayne. If Smith isn't getting the job done then he needs to make the switch to Heinike sooner.

[COWBOY-KILLA-]

This is for all the marbles! Hope Alex can get it done. Agree that if he’s playing tentatively, Rivera needs a quick hook.

[Cooleyfan1993]

4 minutes ago, Florgon79 said:

I just hope there is a shorter leash than last week. Rivera waited too long to pull Dwayne. If Smith isn't getting the job done then he needs to make the switch to Heinike sooner.

I know you said heinike, but honestly, if smith isn’t getting the job done Sunday night, i think we’ll all be switching to Heineken much sooner than Rivera switches to heinike  

[CobraCommander]

Just now, Cooleyfan1993 said:

I know you said heinike, but honestly, if smith isn’t getting the job done Sunday night, i think we’ll all be switching to Heineken much sooner than Rivera switches to heinike  

It's gonna take me a minute to get his name right.