There were a lot of Ryan Kerrigan and Josh Norman jerseys donned by fans at Washington Redskins’ training camp in Richmond—even a few holdover RGIII jerseys. Joel Lubben, a Richmond resident, however, was already supporting the new face of the franchise, wearing a recently purchased jersey for quarterback Alex Smith. While given the team’s recent run of quarterbacks has Lubben “guardedly optimistic,” he praised Smith’s experience in the playoffs, ability to limit turnovers and make big plays as a great addition to the team.
Most of the fans that made their way to the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center for training camp felt the same. They see Smith as a leader and proven winner from his previous stints with the San Francisco 49ers and, most recently, Kansas City Chiefs. Following the trade that brought him to town in January, there’s hope he can duplicate that success with the Redskins.
For Smith, that hype is just white noise.
“Talk is not going to do anything,” he says after a practice. “We’re trying to go win games and that’s what we got to go do. That’ll be exciting. [The fans] don’t need it … any talk, anything like that; predictions. We just need to go out and do it.”
Smith, a former No. 1 overall draft pick who is heading into his 14th NFL season, would know. He’s seen the highs and lows in this league, whether it be early struggles and a merry-go-round of coaches or his current streak of playoff appearances and multiple Pro Bowl honors. But he’s not in Kansas City anymore, and he knows a new team brings new challenges.
“With the move, new playbook, new teammates—a lot of new,” he says. “You do get better at learning and adjusting, I think, as you get older, but it doesn’t make up for reps.”
Of course, there is added pressure when you’re the quarterback—the de facto leader on any team—and while Smith has already had OTAs and other offseason workouts with his teammates, he is still a new presence in the locker room. How does he take that mantle on?
“For me it’s just a matter of being myself,” he says. “A lot of different ways to do it, there’s no one right way—me just being myself and being all in. I’m fully committed and I think that’s kind of what everybody expects out of each other.”
In a Washington Post profile, Smith’s teammate Chris Thompson described him as a “quiet leader.”
“I think you just got to earn that stuff,” Smith responds. “It’s hard to come in as an outsider and be too loud and too vocal. Guys need to see you work, they need to see you put in the time. There’ll be moments for speeches and talks and things like that; right now I’m just trying to get the work in.”
Change didn’t just happen on the football field. Smith and his family moved to McLean after the trade and are settling in, enjoying learning about the community and excited to get involved.
Another thing that got Smith excited was seeing the fan response to the Capitals’ Stanley Cup win over the summer. “It’s great. We share so many of the same fans. I think that stuff’s contagious,” talking about winning.
Even so, Smith doesn’t want to look too far ahead.
“I’m trying to stay shortsighted. Honestly, the next meeting, the next practice, the next walk through.” Don’t expect any Joe Namath-esque declaration, but Smith has made it clear he is here to work.
