www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/alex-smith-reportedly-cleared-for-nfl-return-21-months-after-devastating-injury-that-required-17-surgeries/
We all know enough about what happened to Alex Smith so that I don't really need to just rehash it all here...if you need a brush up, just click the link. Alex Smith's return to the NFL brings up a few questions, at least in my mind... 1. Should he even attempt to return at all? The guy is 36 years old, he's made over $170 million dollars over the course of his career, and just about died because of the sepsis he developed from the injury...He's already beaten death, does he really have anything left to prove to himself or his family, or does he have legitimate unfinished business in the NFL, a strong desire to just keep playing, because he feels he still has more to give? 2. How far does he take the comeback attempt? Will simply making the team be enough, as it proves that despite his injury, and the long time off, that he is still an NFL caliber QB? Does he expect to be a real challenger to Dwayne Haskins, who has not demonstrated that his position as the starting QB of the Washington NFL team is secure? Will Smith be happy just being on an NFL roster as a backup, or is he actively pushing to get his starting job back? If he doesn't make Washington's roster, will he retire, or pursue another team in Free Agency? I guess what I am asking, or just wondering about, is this: Is this attempted comeback because he still feels he has more to give to the NFL, or is this really just about getting rid of that huge "what if" question, before he formally retires? If he had immediately retired after the injury, he would always have in the back of his mind, the question of "what if". What if he could still play? What if he gave up playing too soon, what if he retired too early? And he would never really know the answer to that. However, if he attempts a comeback now, he gets an answer to that question, either way. If he gets cut, he knows the injury ended his career. If he makes the team, he knows he can still play, and then can either decide to actually keep playing, or retire, but in this case, he could retire in peace, as it would be his choice at that point, and not because of the injury... You guys have seen me write "it's better to retire from playing in the NFL, than to have playing in the NFL retire you.", meaning it's better to be able to call your own shot when it comes to ending your playing career than to have an injury force you to end it. If Smith never attempts a comeback, then playing in the NFL retired him, as it were. But by attempting the comeback, he regains control over his own career. That may mean his career keeps going for a few more years, or it means he simply retires with the knowledge that it's HIS decision, not the result of his injury... If you were Alex Smith, would you even attempt a comeback? If not, would be okay knowing that the injury ended your career prematurely, comfortable in the knowledge that your financial situation will keep you more than comfortable for the rest of your life? Or do you make the comeback? Would you genuinely try to keep playing, or would you try to make a comeback, just to get the "What If" question answered, so that you can retire on your own terms? What do you guys think?
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