Alex Smith: "They didn't want me here"

[naptownskinsfan]

35 minutes ago, turtle28 said:

The salary cap forced us to keep Alex unless we were willing to take a major cap hit. I said that all last offseason when some were wondering why he was even being allowed to try to play. 
 

I don’t think local reporters wanted to put something negative out about Alex Smith. The local reporters are good at reporting on the team, Alex is now a national story that transcends sports. It’s a life story at this point.

And of course I this put a wrench into Rivera’s plans of starting fresh and rebuilding with his guys and a young team. New regime, wanted to start fresh but had Alex’s albatross of a contract on the books thanks to Brice Allen’s stupidity. I didn’t think Alex could play again this time last year - and I’m probably his biggest defender in the forum - and even I wanted him to be made a June 1st cut last year and just have been done with it but they obviously didn’t want to take the cap hit.
 

 Maybe Dan Snyder made Rivera keep Alex for good publicity or maybe Alex just showed enough to Ron that he could play with the brace on his leg and be effective, and Alex did show that bc from what I remember Rivera was telling the press how good Alex looked at practice in August and the beat reporters were saying the same thing.

I can’t be on Alex’s side about the PUP list, he like Reuben Foster weren’t ready to practice. I get that he didn’t want to be put on PUP for the first 6 weeks of the season but he should’ve been as should’ve Reuben Foster.
 

You also have to think about if Alex broke his leg again Rivera would be blamed for playing him just like Shanahan is blamed for playing RG3 w/ his knee injury in the 2013 playoffs.

If Smith got the feelings when he walked into the building that he wasn't wanted, then why would a guy with supposed full control keep him around?  There was no thought of competing at that point- it was a rebuild and focus on the culture, and we had tons of cap space to take the hit.  

Either way, between the "suggestion" that we hire two guys to the front office made by Snyder, and this story, it is pretty clear who is once again involved, and not in a good way.  All that time in the ownership suite in 2019 certainly seemed to have paid off for Smith it seems.  

Also, just stop defending the local media.  I gave up on them when it seemed that no one had the guts to out Alex Santos and others, and let them sexually harass female reporters just so they wouldn't lose their scoop on the team.  This is just another example of them screwing the pooch.  

[naptownskinsfan]

15 hours ago, offbyone said:

Not sure what he has to be bitter about towards the organization or what he can expect after that injury.  He was over paid and we gave up too much compensation for him.  It isn't like he rehabbed while on minimum wage.  Why on earth would he would wait until now to be bitter and leave on a negative note?   

Just shows you can't always trust in what you hear or see from inside or outside the organization.  You need to observe and make up your own mind.  I guess the other question this leaves is why is he still on the roster?

I am wondering if this changes the minds of all the bring Alex Smith back people on this forum.

 

Easy answer: Snyder still has influence.  In 2019, all you saw with Alex Smith in the owner's box.  Then he comes out with this interview saying he wasn't around the team for rehab, and the new coaching staff didn't want him, despite having the cap space to absorb the cut in a rebuilding year.  

The fact that a guy who is well-known to be diplomatic in NFL circles, and navigated being replaced in two other stops, completely eviscerated this franchise to GQ of all sources, should raise red flags for us as fans, and shouldn't cause us to turn on Alex Smith.  But that is exactly what I see happening.  

[offbyone]

1 hour ago, naptownskinsfan said:

Easy answer: Snyder still has influence.  In 2019, all you saw with Alex Smith in the owner's box.  Then he comes out with this interview saying he wasn't around the team for rehab, and the new coaching staff didn't want him, despite having the cap space to absorb the cut in a rebuilding year.  

The fact that a guy who is well-known to be diplomatic in NFL circles, and navigated being replaced in two other stops, completely eviscerated this franchise to GQ of all sources, should raise red flags for us as fans, and shouldn't cause us to turn on Alex Smith.  But that is exactly what I see happening.  

The cap hit to absorb Smith's contract last year was crazy big and so I don't buy that it was an option to move on from him then.  It would have been one thing if he was healthy and we could take the hit but trade him for draft compensation, but he wasn't.  Heck he still isn't.  It seems like Smith's big issue with the team is the the staff just didn't put Smith in their plans because they assumed he couldn't play.  Seems pretty logical.  You can't base your team's football season on miracle recoveries and frankly they were right because clearly the leg couldn't hold up as he ended the season on the bench after only a handful of games despite desperately needing him.

In terms of the 2021 league year, it is just hard for me to buy the Snyder theory when Rivera both publicly shamed and canned Haskins in season despite him being Snyder's draft pick.  I don't think letting Alex Smith go during an offseason when we have a clear exit path is a Snyder issue.  Rivera clearly has control.  

But I guess you never know with Snyder.  I think Alex Smith needs to see the trees for the forest.  If I was Rivera or Snyder, I would also have been scared to put him in a game.  If that leg snapped again, it would have been very bad stuff. 

Honestly, I think Alex Smith is just pushing us to let him go so he can move forward on his terms but he should recognize that we paid him a lot of money and not bite the hand that feeds you.

[turtle28]

19 hours ago, offbyone said:

Not sure what he has to be bitter about towards the organization or what he can expect after that injury.  He was over paid and we gave up too much compensation for him.  It isn't like he rehabbed while on minimum wage.  Why on earth would he would wait until now to be bitter and leave on a negative note?   

Just shows you can't always trust in what you hear or see from inside or outside the organization.  You need to observe and make up your own mind.  I guess the other question this leaves is why is he still on the roster?

I am wondering if this changes the minds of all the bring Alex Smith back people on this forum.

 

It changes my mind that he could be back. I would also say that Alex is talking about the cold shoulder he was getting from some in the organization at this time last year, or last spring. When Alex proved to them he could play in August, Rivera had really good things to say about Alex. Then, when Alex did play in November & December & we went 5-1 with him as a starter & only lost the 1 game by 3 points, I think that could’ve changed Rivera’s mind, so I can’t say that Rivera feels the same way about Alex coming back and playing as he did last offseason.

I think that’s all still to be determined.

[turtle28]

1 hour ago, offbyone said:

The cap hit to absorb Smith's contract last year was crazy big and so I don't buy that it was an option to move on from him then.  It would have been one thing if he was healthy and we could take the hit but trade him for draft compensation, but he wasn't.  Heck he still isn't.  It seems like Smith's big issue with the team is the the staff just didn't put Smith in their plans because they assumed he couldn't play.  Seems pretty logical.  You can't base your team's football season on miracle recoveries and frankly they were right because clearly the leg couldn't hold up as he ended the season on the bench after only a handful of games despite desperately needing him.

In terms of the 2021 league year, it is just hard for me to buy the Snyder theory when Rivera both publicly shamed and canned Haskins in season despite him being Snyder's draft pick.  I don't think letting Alex Smith go during an offseason when we have a clear exit path is a Snyder issue.  Rivera clearly has control.  

But I guess you never know with Snyder.  I think Alex Smith needs to see the trees for the forest.  If I was Rivera or Snyder, I would also have been scared to put him in a game.  If that leg snapped again, it would have been very bad stuff. 

Honestly, I think Alex Smith is just pushing us to let him go so he can move forward on his terms but he should recognize that we paid him a lot of money and not bite the hand that feeds you.

Last year they could’ve made Alex a June 1st cut and had the same cap hit as if they cut him now unless they make him a June 1st cut this year. 
 

I definitely think everyone was afraid of him playing again. Rivera & Dan had to be scared of that, especially because of how Shanahan put RG3 back in the game when he shouldn’t have allowed him to go back in vs the Seahawks and we all saw how that ended. 
 

Agreed that they couldn’t plan their season & especially not their future on the thought that Alex could play again. That being said, I see nowhere where they coaching staff impeded Alex from pursuing it. They didn’t cut him, they didn’t put him on PUP when both he and Reuben Foster should’ve gone on PUP and spent the first 6 plus weeks of the season on PUP and Rivera started to praise Alex and how he looked last August.

[turtle28]

3 hours ago, naptownskinsfan said:

If Smith got the feelings when he walked into the building that he wasn't wanted, then why would a guy with supposed full control keep him around?  There was no thought of competing at that point- it was a rebuild and focus on the culture, and we had tons of cap space to take the hit.  

Either way, between the "suggestion" that we hire two guys to the front office made by Snyder, and this story, it is pretty clear who is once again involved, and not in a good way.  All that time in the ownership suite in 2019 certainly seemed to have paid off for Smith it seems.  

Also, just stop defending the local media.  I gave up on them when it seemed that no one had the guts to out Alex Santos and others, and let them sexually harass female reporters just so they wouldn't lose their scoop on the team.  This is just another example of them screwing the pooch.  

Alex didn’t feel a warm embrace bc no one thought he could play and newsflash, Alex didn’t even know for sure if he could play again. They didn’t cut him because of the massive cap hit.

I can defend whoever I want to defend. Just because you’re a mod doesn’t mean you can tell other posters what to have opinions on as long as our posts are within the rules of this forum. I really don’t appreciate that tone at all.

[offbyone]

15 minutes ago, turtle28 said:

Last year they could’ve made Alex a June 1st cut and had the same cap hit as if they cut him now unless they make him a June 1st cut this year. 
 

I definitely think everyone was afraid of him playing again. Rivera & Dan had to be scared of that, especially because of how Shanahan put RG3 back in the game when he shouldn’t have allowed him to go back in vs the Seahawks and we all saw how that ended. 
 

Agreed that they couldn’t plan their season & especially not their future on the thought that Alex could play again. That being said, I see nowhere where they coaching staff impeded Alex from pursuing it. They didn’t cut him, they didn’t put him on PUP when both he and Reuben Foster should’ve gone on PUP and spent the first 6 plus weeks of the season on PUP and Rivera started to praise Alex and how he looked last August.

If we cut him early for the same overall cap hit that doesn't appear to benefit anyone but him.  But in reality keeping him benefited Smith so much.  There is a good chance he wouldn't have gotten another chance last year and then the gap would have been too big for him to ever get an opportunity.  He should be thankful.

 

[turtle28]

2 minutes ago, offbyone said:

If we cut him early for the same overall cap hit that doesn't appear to benefit anyone but him.  But in reality keeping him benefited Smith so much.  There is a good chance he wouldn't have gotten another chance last year and then the gap would have been too big for him to ever get an opportunity.  He should be thankful.

Agreed, but he still doesn’t have to like how he was treated but at the same time I think the way he was treated by Rivera & the staff was reasonable. I definitely think we were his only chance to play last year and the only reason he wasn’t cut in March was because of the salary cap hit that would happen if we cut him. I said that all last offseason.

[e16bball]

I think it’s being blown out of proportion — a little. I agree with Kevin Sheehan in that I believe if we could hear Alex’s tone in saying these things, I don’t think it would carry the same animosity or resentment that people are ascribing to it. To me, it feels more like Alex being a little dramatic and exaggerating about his whole “no one believes in me, it’s me against the world” mindset. Honestly, it kinda feels like he’s pitching the script of the Alex Smith movie. He’s trying to make the point that his comeback wasn’t just about the injury, it was more than that. He had to convince people to give him a chance, yet another obstacle he overcame. I think he would have highlighted that adversity of earning his snaps back, regardless of the team or coaching staff. 
 

At least I hope that’s the case. Because he couldn’t possibly believe that the Redskins/WFT were unfair or disrespectful to him. This team that has paid him all that money, supported him throughout his rehab, brought him into the inner circle with the owner, kept him on the roster all this time, and gave him that chance to compete? Dude, you played 9.5 games for us before you got hurt. You’re an awesome guy, but it’s not like you’re our longtime hero. There’s no way anyone could think ANY team would just immediately hand him the starting job without making sure he could play safely and without making him prove he deserved the playing time. I get that he’s had to develop this very defiant, maybe even irrationally defiant, mindset to overcome what he did — but no reasonable person could take issue with how they handled him.

And let’s be honest, we were stuck with him. Sorry if that bothers him, but we were paying dozens of millions of dollars for a guy who couldn’t take the field for years. We couldn’t find a more beneficial outcome for the team because of the cap rules. And then he wanted to come back, and we still had very little choice, even though he didn’t make any sense at all for a young, ostensibly rebuilding team with a new coaching staff. That’s the definition of “stuck.” It wasn’t personal, everyone thought the world of the guy, but he just didn’t fit with what we were doing. And incidentally, while him coming back and going 5-1 was an amazing feat and incredible to watch — we’re seeing this offseason that it will also likely set our franchise back years and potentially killed our chance to compete with this current roster. So...maybe feeling “stuck” made sense?

 

All that said, I don’t have any real hard feelings for the guy. But as was mentioned earlier, this should put the final nail in the coffin of his tenure here. You don’t get to do national interviews mildly (or worse) bagging on the organization and then get what would basically be a charity season out of us. If you don’t want to be a good soldier for the franchise, you don’t have to — but that removes all the appeal from the idea of keeping him around (at a hefty price) for his intangibles and positive presence. 

Edited February 24, 2021 by e16bball

[MKnight82]

Screw this guy.  We paid him a ton of money while he rehabbed and gave him a legitimate chance to start again.  See ya.  Goodbye.  

[RSkinGM]

This is just getting blown out of proportion . He's just recounting what it was like for him. It's understandable they didn't want him-he obviously wasn't the future of the WFT . This is a non-story to me . 

[turtle28]

3 hours ago, RSkinGM said:

This is just getting blown out of proportion . He's just recounting what it was like for him. It's understandable they didn't want him-he obviously wasn't the future of the WFT . This is a non-story to me . 

[Slappy Mc]

I'm not going to act like Alex Smith was a good QB this season.

66.7 completion pct. 6 TDs 8 INTs 197.8 yards/gm and a 78.5 QBR. 

For anyone paying attention last year we knew Alex Smith was essentially afraid to throw downfield and was the check down king. JD McKissics value went through the roof when Alex started. 

 

I'm ready to move on. 

[ripsean21]

Love Alex the person but let’s be real the last two years we paid this guy about 50 mil to rehab and even make a comeback in a cutthroat business. So while I believe they didn’t want to be liable if Arron Donald’s piggyback ride ended like the last one he gave to JJ’s did dude you got paid generational wealth to rehab and you got your chance which I’m sorry I believe if we cut him which was a option this man never sees the field again. So he can say what he wants but we kept him in the building when we didn’t have too and I don’t think any other team goes through what we did for him to even get that chance so maybe just be alittle greatful that your company that had more reasons to drop you then keep you did. Sorry not giving sympathy for this one proud of you Alex but maybe just be greatful that you’ve been able to stay in a NFL locker room to have a chance to live that dream at all.

[ARTMONK HOF]

Then why say them. Back tracking. Bunch of BS!