Ron Rivera Thread

[SolidSnake84]

Originally Posted by AnonEmouse

This. Smith has to be mentally strong enough, not just to get through all that healing, but also to go out in front of a DL that don't care if he's on the comeback or not and want to tear him a new one (within the confines of the rules of course). Didn't matter if it was Aaron Donald or some other guy riding his back, he was going to get pressured, hit and sacked if he played anything more than a symbolic snap again, especially behind this OL. If he wasn't up to it, he should have retired, no matter how romantic the idea of a comeback is.

Well he was up to it, but only physically. I'm not sure he was mentally ready, and the question now is will he ever be. But RR had to put him in to test where he is, if only to show him he should retire (which I think he will do at the end of this season).

That's a great post, but i don't get a "retirement" vibe when i think about Alex coming into the game. He didn't retire despite everything he went through, even though that would have been infinitely easier. Like he said in his documentary, he wanted to know if he could make it back on the field again in an actual game. He didn't want to wonder about it the rest of his life, he wanted to know if he could do it again.

He survived one of the most, if not the most terrifying defensive players in the NFL, Aaron Donald who has absolutely been a buzzsaw this year, tearing through 2 and sometimes 3 players to attack his prey. The Rams pass rush was nightmarish, and Alex Smith took a terrible beating in his first game back. BUT - he survived it with no injury. In his mind at least, he has to feel / know that he is capable of surviving an NFL game. And when he basically carried Aaron Donald on his back for a few steps, I think he knew he was up to the task of being back in the NFL.

It is totally understandable that he looked rusty playing in his first game in almost 700 days. I am almost sure that with more reps in practice now, and further working with the 1st team offense, he will get his mojo back. He is 36, not young, but not a dinosaur. He should have several good years left in the NFL if he doesn't suffer anymore injuries.